Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what assessment she has made of trends in the level of shadow banning women’s health content on social media platforms.

Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

It is crucial every woman and girl can access trusted health information online. The government is committed to promoting trusted sources of health information. The Online Safety Act does not prevent adults or children from accessing legal content about women’s health. The largest services will also have additional duties meaning they cannot arbitrarily remove content. Users will also have access to effective complaints procedures to appeal when content is unduly taken down. DSIT will continue to engage with Ofcom and industry to ensure the Online Safety Act is being implemented as we expect.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she is taking to support the road haulage industry in Yeovil constituency with fuel costs.

Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The Department for Transport recognises growing concerns around rising fuel and transport costs caused by the conflict in the Middle East. The Department fully recognises the need to maintain the continuity of critical supply chains and is actively monitoring any potential impacts. The Department will continue to work with industry to understand the pressures and options to mitigate any risks.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking to protect the egg market in Yeovil constituency from the potential impact of rising imports of eggs from countries with lower production standards.

Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The UK imports a small proportion of its annual supply of eggs to meet domestic demand. The Government consistently considers the impact of imports from all countries on the UK domestic egg sector. The Government will continue to take account of UK imports as part of our continued monitoring of the egg production chain. Along with the continued monitoring of egg quality of both domestic and imported eggs against the Egg Marketing Standards by our Egg Marketing Inspectors in the Animal and Plant Health Agency.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of establishing a working group to implement agri-food standards for food imports.

Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Defra regularly engages with industry on trade issues. This Government recognises concerns about methods of production which are not permitted in the UK. As set out in the UK’s Trade Strategy, the Government will not lower food standards and will uphold high animal welfare standards.

The Government will always consider whether overseas produce has an unfair advantage and any impact that may have. Where necessary, this Government will be prepared to use the full range of powers at the Government’s disposal to protect the UK’s most sensitive sectors including permanent quotas, exclusions, and safeguards.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to reduce girls’ school absence rates in (a) Yeovil constituency, (b) Somerset and (c) England.

Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)

The 'Working together to improve school attendance' statutory guidance supports the attendance of all children and requires schools and wider services to take a ‘support first’ approach to understand the nature of the individual barriers facing a child’s attendance and put in place appropriate support.

Schools are supported with real-time data and practical toolkits to diagnose drivers of absence, including bespoke attendance targets. Our attendance mentoring programme provides one-to-one support for persistently absent children, both in Somerset and more widely. The national regional improvement for standards and excellence attendance and behaviour hubs support over 3,500 schools with practical advice for improving attendance practice.

Attendance is also supported by wider investment, including rolling out free breakfast clubs in all primary schools and expanding access to specialist mental health professionals in every school.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he is taking to reduce rates of child poverty in working families in (a) Yeovil constituency, (b) Somerset and (c) England.

Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

The latest statistics for 2024/25 show that over seven in ten children in poverty are in working families. ‘Our Children, Our Future: Tackling Child Poverty’, published in December 2025, sets out Government’s commitment to tackling child poverty, including in working households.

Measures include the removal of the two child limit in Universal Credit, which will lift 450,000 children out of poverty. Alongside other measures set out in the Strategy, including extending Free School Meals to all children in households in receipt of Universal Credit, will reduce child poverty by 550,000 in the final year of this Parliament, the largest reduction over a Parliament since comparable records began.

This comes alongside raising the National Living Wage to £12.71 an hour to boost the pay of 2.4 million workers, tripling our investment in breakfast clubs to over £30 million and investing £39 billion in social and affordable housing.

Providing the right employment support can help parents progress in work. That is why the UK Government is driving forward labour market interventions that will deliver a step-change in support and help parents to enter and progress in work.

Since September 2025, eligible working parents of children from 9 months old living in England have been able to access 30 hours of Government-funded childcare. Working parents on Universal Credit can receive 85% of childcare costs and 100% of any upfront costs and, we announced that childcare support through Universal Credit would be extended to help with the childcare costs for all children, rather than being capped at two.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the introduction of V and T Levels on Teaching Staff on Yeovil constituency.

Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

On 10 March, the government published its response to the consultation on post-16 level 3 and below pathways, which set out the introduction of V Levels and changes to T Levels. These reforms represent generational changes to our vocational education system and will bring vocational and technical education on a par with academic education.

The department is working closely with the sector on the rollout of these qualifications over the four-year reform period, and the implications for the 16 to 19 teacher workforce. To support the sector to transition, we will not remove public funding approval for unreformed qualifications in 2026/27, as previously planned, giving more time for the sector to prepare for delivery. More detail on support to deliver reformed qualifications will be set out in the implementation plan, which will be published by June 2026.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she is taking to help reduce the risk of crashes involving young drivers, aged 18- to 24, in Yeovil constituency.

Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury

On 7 January 2026, we published our new Road Safety Strategy, setting out our vision for a safer future on our roads for all. The Strategy sets an ambitious target to reduce the number of people killed or seriously injured on British roads by 65% by 2035.

We are consulting on introducing a Minimum Learning Period before learner drivers in GB can take their practical driving test. This would allow learners more time to gain essential experience, for example in different weather conditions, before driving independently and reduce the risk to themselves and other drivers.

We are also consulting on a lower drink drive limit for newly qualified drivers in England and Wales with the intention of reducing collisions amongst this group.

THINK!, the Government’s flagship road safety campaign aims to change attitudes and behaviours among those at risk of injury on our roads. The primary audience for THINK! is young men aged 17-24. The campaign runs nationally across England and Wales targeting priority issues such as drink driving and speeding, as well as communicating key policy interventions.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the declaration of ongoing medical issues on the time take to renew drivers' licences for people in Yeovil constituency.

Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

In the interests of road safety, the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) must be satisfied that the required medical standards are met before a licence is issued. Some medical cases take longer because the DVLA often needs information from third parties, including doctors or other healthcare professionals, before it can make a licensing decision.

The DVLA has seen sustained growth in the volume and complexity of medical licence applications, increasing waiting times for some customers. To improve its services, the DVLA has introduced a new casework system and launched a new medical services portal so the majority of customers can now apply online through the DVLA’s driver and vehicle account.

These enhancements alongside the recruitment of additional staff to deal with these applications and answer telephone calls, will deliver real improvements in services and turnaround times for customers.

No assessment has been made of the potential impact of the time taken to renew driving licences specifically for the Yeovil constituency.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to improve the accuracy and consistency of coding practices for young onset dementia across health systems.

Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

To strengthen both local and national insight into dementia care, enable clearer benchmarking, and support the delivery of more timely, targeted, and person-centred support, NHS England continues to monitor the monthly dementia diagnosis rate and analyse trends at national, regional, and integrated care board level. The commitment to recover diagnosis rates to the national ambition, of 66.7%, remains in place, ensuring identification and appropriate support for people living with dementia.

The national ambition to ensure that two-thirds of people estimated to have dementia receive a formal diagnosis includes ensuring provision of a validated diagnosis of dementia subtype.

In addition, NHS England is actively looking to improve the clinical utility and relevance of dementia data reporting. This includes:

• enhancing primary care reporting through ongoing refinement of indicators and coding approaches. Notably, a new measure was introduced in April 2025 capturing the number of people with dementia who have experienced delirium in the past 12 months. This will support systems and providers to better understand variation in care provision, improve risk stratification, and strengthen care planning; and
• exploring improvements in the Mental Health Services Data Set to ensure activity within Memory Assessment Services is more fully reflected in available data. Work is underway with the NHS England analyst team to scope options for developing more meaningful coverage and consistency in memory service reporting.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many people with young onset dementia have received a care plan review in the most recent period for which data is available in (a) Yeovil constituency and (b) England.

Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

We do not hold data for the Yeovil constituency centrally. In England, 369,635, or 72.4%, of those with a recorded diagnosis of dementia on 28 February 2026 received a care plan or care plan review in the preceding 12 months. This information is found in the Primary Care Dementia Data, published at the following link:

https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/primary-care-dementia-data

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to co-ordinate the Modern Service Framework for Frailty and Dementia with the Modern Service Framework for Palliative and End of Life Care.

Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

We will deliver the first ever Modern Service Framework (MSF) for Frailty and Dementia. This will be complemented by an MSF for Palliative Care and End of Life Care. Together these MSFs will drive rapid and significant improvements in quality of care and productivity. We are committed to publishing an interim product for the MSF for Frailty and Dementia in September this year to feed into National Health Service and local government planning cycles, and will aim to publish the full MSF by the end of this calendar year as recommended by Baroness Casey.

The MSF for Palliative Care and End of Life Care, with a planned publication date of Autumn 2026, will drive improvements in the services that patients and their families receive at the end of life, including those living with dementia, and will enable integrated care boards to address challenges in access, quality, and sustainability through the delivery of high-quality, personalised care. We are committed to publishing an interim product for the Palliative Care and End of Life Care in Spring.

We intend to engage with a range of partners over the coming months to enable us to build frameworks which are both ambitious and practical, to ensure we can improve system performance for people with dementia both now and in the future. The teams responsible for the MSFs are working together to ensure alignment and co-ordination.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of geographic inequalities in access to a range of V and T Levels.

Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

There are 21 T Levels available across England, delivered by over 320 providers. Further subjects are being introduced from 2028, and the first rollout of V Levels will be in 2027. We have published a transition document for providers to move to the new system- supporting access to the full suite of reformed qualifications across the country. This document can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/post-16-level-3-and-below-pathways/outcome/transition-plan-to-the-reformed-16-to-19-qualifications-landscape.

We recognise the challenges of T Level delivery in some areas, particularly around accessing industry placements in rural locations. We provide a contracted offer to support employers to engage with and offer placements and a ‘Connect’ service to help providers and employers to connect locally. We are also making further changes to support students in rural locations where travelling to placements can be more difficult, including greater provision for remote placements.

In addition, the 1,200-member-strong T Level Ambassador Network published regional plans in February 2026, using evidence to better target engagement activity across the North, Midlands and South.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking to raise public (a) awareness and (b) understanding of lawful and responsible trail riding.

Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The Government recognises the importance of ensuring that all users of the countryside understand how to access and enjoy it lawfully and responsibly. Public access, including for horse riders, is supported by the Countryside Code, which promotes responsible enjoyment of the outdoors, respect for others and protection of the natural environment. This includes keeping to permitted routes, leaving gates as found, and minimising damage to paths and surrounding land.

At a local level, highway authorities also play an important role in raising awareness of lawful and responsible use. They are responsible for managing and maintaining public rights of way, including keeping them free from obstruction, and for producing Rights of Way Improvement Plans (ROWIPs), which assess needs and set out planned improvements. The Government encourages riders to engage with their local authority and review their area’s ROWIP to understand planned improvements and raise concerns about bridleway connectivity and condition.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 30 March 2026 to Question 119646 on Air Pollution: Yeovil, what assessment she has made of whether updating health advice, in the absence of changes to the Daily Air Quality Index thresholds, is sufficient to ensure that air quality information accurately communicates risks to public health.

Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The Air Quality Information System Review found that clearer, more targeted health and behavioural advice, particularly for people most at risk, could support actions to reduce exposure and manage health impacts. Alongside the updated health advice, the Government is progressing delivery of the Review’s wider recommendations, including work to improve digital communications and alert systems, and considering how the Daily Air Quality Index can be updated.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what progress his department has made in implementing the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs recommendation to reduce barriers to research into promising treatments for cluster headaches.

Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Department of Health and Social Care is working with officials in the Home Office to support the changes agreed to in the letter from the Minister of State at the Department for Work and Pensions and the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Patient Safety, Women’s Health and Mental Health from July 2025. The group has met with stakeholders from the clinical trials community who gave advice and assurance on the proposed changes to the legislation.

The Department is committed to turbocharging clinical research and delivering better patient care, to make the United Kingdom a world-leading destination for clinical research. We are working to fast-track clinical trials, reducing barriers and unnecessary bureaucracy to drive global investment into life sciences, improve health outcomes, and accelerate the development of the medicines and therapies of the future, including treatments for cluster headaches. We expect these efforts to attract more commercial investment in clinical research and to yield a broad and diverse portfolio of clinical trials in the UK.

The Department is committed to ensuring that all patients, including those with cluster headaches, have access to cutting-edge clinical trials and innovative, lifesaving treatments.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps he is taking to reduce barriers for people seeking to self-build their own properties in (a) Yeovil constituency, (b) Somerset and (c) England.

Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The revised National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) published on 12 December 2024 includes measures designed to strengthen support for self and custom build housing by promoting mixed tenure development, including plots for self and custom build, and strengthening the wording around small site allocation for SME housebuilders.

Between 16 December 2025 and 10 March 2026, we consulted on a new NPPF. The consultation on the revised Framework, which can be found on gov.uk here, included proposals relating to supporting a diverse mix of homes and supporting small and medium sites. We are currently analysing the feedback received and will publish our response in due course.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to help ensure the introduction of T Levels promote gender equality in access to the technical sector.

Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

Over 85,000 students have enrolled on a T Level since their launch in 2020. in the 2024/25 academic year, T Level entrants were almost evenly split between male and female learners. This represents a more balanced intake than either of the previous two academic years, where male learners made up slightly more than half of all entrants. Entrant data for the 2025/26 academic year can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/t-level-and-t-level-foundation-year-entrant-data-2025-to-2026/t-level-and-t-level-foundation-year-entrant-data-2025-to-2026.

To challenge gender stereotypes which may hold young people back from applying, the department showcases a range of student case studies in our communications, for example females studying construction and males studying health. In addition, our 1,200-member-strong T Level Ambassador Network use their influence and personal experience to inspire employers and young people to explore the opportunities offered by T Levels and technical education.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she is taking to improve rural transport links in Yeovil constituency.

Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The Government knows the importance of reliable bus services in enabling people to stay connected and access education, work and vital services, particularly in rural areas where buses may be the only form of public transport. We are committed to delivering better bus services and the Bus Services Act 2025 puts passenger needs, reliable services and local accountability at the heart of local bus services by putting the power back in the hands of local leaders right across England.

The Government reaffirmed its commitment to investing in bus services long-term in the Spending Review, confirming over £3 billion from 2026/27 to support local leaders and bus operators across the country to improve bus services for millions of passengers. This includes multi-year allocations for local authorities under the Local Authority Bus Grant (LABG) totalling nearly £700 million per year, ending the short-term approach to bus funding and giving councils the certainty they need to plan ahead to improve services for local communities.

The formula used to calculate LABG allocations for 2026/27 onwards includes consideration of the rurality of local areas for the first time, acknowledging the challenges of running services in rural areas, in addition to population size, levels of deprivation, and the extent of existing bus services. Funding allocated to local authorities to improve services can be used in whichever way they wish to deliver better services for passengers, this could include expanding current bus provision.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she is taking to improve the process of driver’s licence renewal.

Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA)’s online services are the quickest and easiest way to renew a driving licence. There are no delays in successful online applications and customers should receive their driving licence within a few days.

In the interests of road safety, the DVLA must be satisfied that the required medical standards are met before a licence is issued. Some medical cases take longer because the DVLA often needs information from third parties, including doctors or other healthcare professionals, before it can make a licensing decision.

The DVLA has seen sustained growth in the volume and complexity of medical licence applications, increasing waiting times for some customers. To improve its services, the DVLA has introduced a new casework system and launched a new medical services portal so the majority of customers can now apply online through the DVLA’s driver and vehicle account.

These enhancements alongside the recruitment of additional staff to deal with these applications and answer telephone calls, will deliver real improvements in services and turnaround times for customers.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to help reduce waiting times for atrial fibrillation ablation procedures in (a) Yeovil constituency, (b) Somerset and (c) England.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

Catheter ablation for paroxysmal and persistent atrial fibrillation for adults is a prescribed specialised service commissioned in accordance with a published national clinical commissioning policy. Consequently, NHS England’s regional specialised commissioning teams and integrated care boards (ICBs), including the Somerset ICB, are responsible for monitoring activity, reviewing equity of access for their populations, and addressing unwarranted variation through local oversight arrangements and clinical networks.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to help address variations in access to care for people with atrial fibrillation in England.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

NHS England commissions the CVDPREVENT audit, which publishes routinely held general practice data to support planning and tackle unwarranted variation at national, regional, integrated care board, primary care network, and practice level. This includes information on atrial fibrillation treatment.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the level of need to improve access to mechanical thrombectomy for stroke patients, particularly in rural areas such as Somerset.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

NHS England continues to support the improvement of stroke pathways through Integrated Stroke Delivery Networks, including strengthening pre-hospital triage, inter-hospital transfer pathways, and emergency referral arrangements.

These actions are intended to reduce unwarranted variation and improve equitable access to mechanical thrombectomy for stroke patients, including those living in rural areas such as Somerset, while ensuring services remain clinically safe and sustainable.

Mechanical thrombectomy is an evidence-based treatment for eligible patients with large vessel occlusion stroke and is recognised as a national clinical priority.

The service is commissioned by NHS England as a specialised service, with aspects of planning and delivery supported locally through specialised commissioning delegated arrangements, working closely with integrated care boards and systems.

NHS England has assessed the need to improve access to mechanical thrombectomy through national clinical policy, audit, and service monitoring. NHS England routinely monitors access and outcomes through the Sentinel Stroke National Audit Programme, which has demonstrated variation in access across England, including challenges related to geography and travel times.

In response to this assessed need, work continues to develop and strengthen services. In addition to NHS England’s aforementioned improvement of stroke pathways through Integrated Stroke Delivery Networks, work is also ongoing to support the expansion and sustainability of thrombectomy capable services where clinically and operationally appropriate, within the framework of specialised commissioning delegated services. For instance, 24/7 services to serve stroke patients are available at Bristol and Plymouth.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to help (a) reduce regional disparities in access in access to left atrial appendage closure and (b) the potential impact of such disparities on Yeovil constituents.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

NHS England has not undertaken a formal national assessment of regional variation in access to left atrial appendage occlusion (LAAO).

LAAO is a prescribed specialised service and is commissioned in accordance with NHS England’s published national clinical commissioning policy, with further information available at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/clinical-commissioning-policy-left-atrial-appendage-occlusion-for-patients-with-atrial-fibrillation-and-relative-or-absolute-contraindications-to-anticoagulation-adults/

NHS England’s regional specialised commissioners and integrated care boards are responsible for the monitoring of activity, the reviewing of equity of access for their populations, and for addressing variation through local oversight and clinical networks.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of tacking steps to help tackle land banking in (a) Yeovil constituency, (b) Somerset and (c) England.

Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

In May 2025, the government published a Planning Reform Working Paper: Speeding Up Build Out inviting views on further action the government should take to speed up homes being built. It can be found on gov.uk here.

On the same day, we launched a technical consultation on implementing measures to improve the transparency of build rates from new residential developments, which includes proposals to implement provisions in Section 113 of the LURA on the power to decline to determine applications. That consultation can be found on gov.uk here.

We are now analysing the responses to both consultations, and we will set out our next steps in due course.

Between 16 December 2025 and 10 March 2026, we consulted on a new NPPF. The consultation on the revised Framework, which can be found on gov.uk here, included proposals designed to ensure major development proposals are capable of being implemented within a reasonable period – taking into account tenure mix, local market conditions and development history of the site.

We are currently analysing the feedback received and will publish our response in due course.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what improvements he anticipates to stroke services as part of the forthcoming Modern Service Framework for cardiovascular disease.

Answered by Sharon Hodgson - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The cardiovascular disease Modern Service Framework (MSF) will prioritise ambitious, evidence-led and clinically informed approaches to reducing premature mortality from heart disease and stroke by 25% within the next decade. The MSF will be published in spring.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he is taking to reduce the time it takes to process a war pension scheme application.

Answered by Louise Sandher-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)

I refer the hon. Member to my previous answer provided to 103061 in January 2026, and 126385 in April 2026.

The Ministry of Defence (MOD) is currently managing a high volume of War Pension Scheme (WPS) claims, which has resulted in longer processing times. We remain fully committed to improving performance and reducing delays in claim processing. To address these challenges, the Department has implemented a range of targeted measures:

• Flexible resource management: Teams now have the ability to reallocate resources as needed, while staff are being trained in multiple skillsets to enhance efficiency and build greater resilience across operations.
• Accelerated processing: Overtime and weekend working have been introduced to expedite the clearance of outstanding claims.
• Increased capacity: Additional administrative and caseworker staff have been recruited to strengthen processing capabilities and improve overall throughput.

The MOD places the highest priority on claims from terminally ill individuals, ensuring they are fast-tracked at every stage. Furthermore, MOD Veterans Services continues to provide dedicated support and assistance to veterans, Service personnel, and their families, ensuring they receive the help they need.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of increasing investment in rural crime teams in (a) Somerset and (b) England.

Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)

This Government is introducing the most radical and comprehensive policing reforms in nearly 200 years. We will modernise policing in this country – equipping it to tackle more sophisticated, online, and cross-border crimes (like wildlife crime and organised equipment theft), while also restoring neighbourhood policing.

We have hit our target of 3,000 more neighbourhood officers in March – and our target remains 13k by the end of the parliament. With the Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee every neighbourhood, rural or urban, now gets a named contactable officer and a response to non-urgent queries in 72 hours. Every rural area will also be covered by a Local Policing Area under a commander responsible for emergency response, local crime investigation and neighbourhood policing. They will be set targets to ensure they answer 90% of 999 calls within 10 seconds and attend 90% of the most serious incidents within 20 minutes in rural areas.

This financial year (FY25/26) we are providing £800,000 of funding to the National Rural Crime Unit and the National Wildlife Crime Unit, and we will be providing the same level of funding in 26/27. These capabilities play key roles in helping police across the UK tackle organised theft and disrupt serious and organised crime groups, which can pose unique challenges for policing in large and isolated rural areas.

The Government recognises that there can be challenges in responding to rural crime, which is why we worked closely with the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) to deliver the next iteration of their Rural and Wildlife Crime strategy and sets out operational and organisational policing priorities in respect of tackling those crimes that predominantly affect our rural communities.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of the resources available to Avon and Somerset police to tackle rural crime.

Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)

This Government is introducing the most radical and comprehensive policing reforms in nearly 200 years. We will modernise policing in this country – equipping it to tackle more sophisticated, online, and cross-border crimes (like wildlife crime and organised equipment theft), while also restoring neighbourhood policing.

We have hit our target of 3,000 more neighbourhood officers in March – and our target remains 13k by the end of the parliament. With the Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee every neighbourhood, rural or urban, now gets a named contactable officer and a response to non-urgent queries in 72 hours. Every rural area will also be covered by a Local Policing Area under a commander responsible for emergency response, local crime investigation and neighbourhood policing. They will be set targets to ensure they answer 90% of 999 calls within 10 seconds and attend 90% of the most serious incidents within 20 minutes in rural areas.

This financial year (FY25/26) we are providing £800,000 of funding to the National Rural Crime Unit and the National Wildlife Crime Unit, and we will be providing the same level of funding in 26/27. These capabilities play key roles in helping police across the UK tackle organised theft and disrupt serious and organised crime groups, which can pose unique challenges for policing in large and isolated rural areas.

The Government recognises that there can be challenges in responding to rural crime, which is why we worked closely with the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) to deliver the next iteration of their Rural and Wildlife Crime strategy and sets out operational and organisational policing priorities in respect of tackling those crimes that predominantly affect our rural communities.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps he is taking to reduce administration for small local property developers in (a) Yeovil constituency, (b) Somerset and (c) England.

Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

On 1 April 2026, the government launched the new National Housing Bank which will provide loans and financial support to SME developers.

I otherwise refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 111043 on 12 February 2026.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether he is taking steps to encourage the use of small local property developers in building new homes in Yeovil constituency.

Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

On 1 April 2026, the government launched the new National Housing Bank which will provide loans and financial support to SME developers.

I otherwise refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 111043 on 12 February 2026.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the potential implications for his polices of the time taken to digitalise property deeds by HM Land Registry.

Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 103008 on 13 January 2026.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of ensuring free school meals provide (a) sustainable, (b) nutritious and (c) locally sourced food.

Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)

The action we are taking to extend free school meals to all children from households in receipt of Universal Credit will ensure that over 500,000 additional children will receive a free and nutritious lunchtime meal, pulling 100,000 children out of poverty.

We are consulting on proposed updates to the School Food Standards in England to ensure that all food served at school, including at breakfast and lunch, better reflects current nutritional guidance and support children’s health, wellbeing and learning. Details of this consultation are available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/school-food-standards-updating-the-legislative-framework We will consider guidance for the new standards in due course.

The government remains committed to our ambition that half of all food served in public settings is either locally sourced or certified to higher environmental standards and we are open to considering all lawful means of achieving this. We are working closely with the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs as they develop the Good Food Cycle vision.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of strengthening efforts to sustain a green roads network in (a) Somerset (b) England and (c) the United Kingdom.

Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

Local highway authorities are responsible for the management and maintenance of public rights of way. They are required to keep a Rights of Way Improvement Plan (ROWIP) to plan improvements to the rights of way network in their area for all users. These are available on the authority’s website. This must include an assessment of the local rights of way including the condition of the network.

Local authorities are best placed to understand local priorities and allocate funding for rights of way activities accordingly.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of trail riding on people's health and wellbeing through active recreation.

Answered by Sharon Hodgson - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Department has not made a specific assessment of the potential impact of trail riding on people's health and wellbeing through active recreation. The Department recognises that participation in outdoor activities using trails, such as cycling, walking, wheeling, and running, can have a range of physical and mental health benefits through movement, social engagement, and access to green and blue spaces.

The Government and the National Health Service recognise that reducing physical inactivity in people of all ages is important in helping people live longer, healthier lives. As committed to in the 10-Year Health Plan, we will address physically inactivity and help build movement into everyday lives through investing in grassroots sports, developing a new Physical Education and school sports partnership network to support children reap the benefits of movement, and supporting cycling and walking infrastructure.

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