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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessments he has made of the potential merits of supporting greater education in schools on (a) littering and (b) reducing littering.

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

Littering is a crime that blights communities and the environment. Local councils are usually best placed to respond to littering. They have a range of enforcement tools including fixed penalty notices and prosecution to help them meet their duty to keep public areas clear or litter and rubbish. This Government is considering what further steps are needed to help local authorities tackle litter.

In the meantime, we are tackling two of the more common sources of litter. The sale of single-use vapes will be banned from 1 June 2025 and a Deposit Return Scheme (DRS) will go live in England, Northern Ireland, and Scotland in October 2027. The DRS will introduce a redeemable deposit on single-use in-scope drinks containers.

No assessment has been made of the primary causes of litter in rural communities, the potential impact of litter on public health in rural communities or the potential merits of supporting greater education in schools on littering.

The Eco-Schools programme, run by Keep Britain Tidy, works with schools to help change littering habits. As part of the programme, in 2023/24 over 100,000 pupils participated in litter picks collecting 27,000 bags of rubbish and delivering over 3,000 litter picks in their communities.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he plans to take reduce the public health impact of litter in rural communities.

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

Littering is a crime that blights communities and the environment. Local councils are usually best placed to respond to littering. They have a range of enforcement tools including fixed penalty notices and prosecution to help them meet their duty to keep public areas clear or litter and rubbish. This Government is considering what further steps are needed to help local authorities tackle litter.

In the meantime, we are tackling two of the more common sources of litter. The sale of single-use vapes will be banned from 1 June 2025 and a Deposit Return Scheme (DRS) will go live in England, Northern Ireland, and Scotland in October 2027. The DRS will introduce a redeemable deposit on single-use in-scope drinks containers.

No assessment has been made of the primary causes of litter in rural communities, the potential impact of litter on public health in rural communities or the potential merits of supporting greater education in schools on littering.

The Eco-Schools programme, run by Keep Britain Tidy, works with schools to help change littering habits. As part of the programme, in 2023/24 over 100,000 pupils participated in litter picks collecting 27,000 bags of rubbish and delivering over 3,000 litter picks in their communities.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he plans to take to help tackle the sources of littering in (a) Yeovil constituency and (b) rural communities.

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

Littering is a crime that blights communities and the environment. Local councils are usually best placed to respond to littering. They have a range of enforcement tools including fixed penalty notices and prosecution to help them meet their duty to keep public areas clear or litter and rubbish. This Government is considering what further steps are needed to help local authorities tackle litter.

In the meantime, we are tackling two of the more common sources of litter. The sale of single-use vapes will be banned from 1 June 2025 and a Deposit Return Scheme (DRS) will go live in England, Northern Ireland, and Scotland in October 2027. The DRS will introduce a redeemable deposit on single-use in-scope drinks containers.

No assessment has been made of the primary causes of litter in rural communities, the potential impact of litter on public health in rural communities or the potential merits of supporting greater education in schools on littering.

The Eco-Schools programme, run by Keep Britain Tidy, works with schools to help change littering habits. As part of the programme, in 2023/24 over 100,000 pupils participated in litter picks collecting 27,000 bags of rubbish and delivering over 3,000 litter picks in their communities.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of litter on public health in rural communities.

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

Littering is a crime that blights communities and the environment. Local councils are usually best placed to respond to littering. They have a range of enforcement tools including fixed penalty notices and prosecution to help them meet their duty to keep public areas clear or litter and rubbish. This Government is considering what further steps are needed to help local authorities tackle litter.

In the meantime, we are tackling two of the more common sources of litter. The sale of single-use vapes will be banned from 1 June 2025 and a Deposit Return Scheme (DRS) will go live in England, Northern Ireland, and Scotland in October 2027. The DRS will introduce a redeemable deposit on single-use in-scope drinks containers.

No assessment has been made of the primary causes of litter in rural communities, the potential impact of litter on public health in rural communities or the potential merits of supporting greater education in schools on littering.

The Eco-Schools programme, run by Keep Britain Tidy, works with schools to help change littering habits. As part of the programme, in 2023/24 over 100,000 pupils participated in litter picks collecting 27,000 bags of rubbish and delivering over 3,000 litter picks in their communities.

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 primary causes of litter in rural communities.

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

Littering is a crime that blights communities and the environment. Local councils are usually best placed to respond to littering. They have a range of enforcement tools including fixed penalty notices and prosecution to help them meet their duty to keep public areas clear or litter and rubbish. This Government is considering what further steps are needed to help local authorities tackle litter.

In the meantime, we are tackling two of the more common sources of litter. The sale of single-use vapes will be banned from 1 June 2025 and a Deposit Return Scheme (DRS) will go live in England, Northern Ireland, and Scotland in October 2027. The DRS will introduce a redeemable deposit on single-use in-scope drinks containers.

No assessment has been made of the primary causes of litter in rural communities, the potential impact of litter on public health in rural communities or the potential merits of supporting greater education in schools on littering.

The Eco-Schools programme, run by Keep Britain Tidy, works with schools to help change littering habits. As part of the programme, in 2023/24 over 100,000 pupils participated in litter picks collecting 27,000 bags of rubbish and delivering over 3,000 litter picks in their communities.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions he has had with large supermarkets on the potential impact of (a) food pricing and (b) supermarkets' buying practices on food producers.

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

Defra regularly engages with supermarkets and producers about a range of measures they can take to ensure the availability of affordable food.  These measures include maintaining value ranges, price matching and price freezing.  However, it is for each individual food retailer to make commercial decisions regarding the products in their stores, as the Government does not interfere in day-to-day operations.

The Government is firmly committed to ensuring food producers receive a fair price for their products, and to tackling unfairness in the supply chain wherever it exists.

On 13 March, Fair Dealing Regulations for the pig sector were introduced and are currently progressing through the parliamentary process. Similar regulations for the eggs and fresh produce sectors will follow, with the Government prepared to intervene in any sector where fairness issues are identified.

Where farmers sell directly to retailers, their agreements will be covered within the scope of the sectoral regulations that we are introducing through powers in the Agriculture Act 2020.

Additionally, the Government is committed to ensuring that everyone has access to nutritious, affordable food. The recently launched Food Strategy will look to outline measures to make healthy food accessible and affordable for the whole population.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment she has made of the cost of untreated attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.

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

No formal assessment has been made of the cost of untreated attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). NHS England has established an ADHD taskforce which is working to bring together those with lived experience with experts from the National Health Service, education, charity, and justice sectors to get a better understanding of the challenges affecting those with ADHD, including timely and equitable access to services and support, with the report expected in the summer. The taskforce is considering the impact of not treating ADHD as part of its work.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps she is taking to help improve support for prisoners with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.

Answered by Nicholas Dakin - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a neurodevelopmental condition. NHS England is responsible for healthcare services in prisons in England, including the clinical diagnosis of neurodiverse conditions, and it does not hold this data centrally.

The Ministry of Justice is committed to improving support for neurodivergent people within prisons, including those with ADHD.

Neurodiversity Support Managers have been successfully rolled out across the prison service. These specialist managers provide training and guidance to prison staff, improve processes to identify and support neurodivergent prisoners, and ensure reasonable adjustments are implemented to make prison environments more supportive of neurodiverse needs. Some prisons have also introduced neurodiversity wings or created specific areas which focus on the sensory and mental health requirements for prisoners with complex needs.

The HMPPS Prisoner Education Service will be implementing a new, digitalised Additional Learning Needs tool to be used nationally by Core Education suppliers from October 2025. This tool will identify individual strengths and any additional learning needs, including neurodiversity. It will also suggest practical support strategies and offer guidance relating to potential areas of strength and need.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what estimate she has made of the number of prisoners with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.

Answered by Nicholas Dakin - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a neurodevelopmental condition. NHS England is responsible for healthcare services in prisons in England, including the clinical diagnosis of neurodiverse conditions, and it does not hold this data centrally.

The Ministry of Justice is committed to improving support for neurodivergent people within prisons, including those with ADHD.

Neurodiversity Support Managers have been successfully rolled out across the prison service. These specialist managers provide training and guidance to prison staff, improve processes to identify and support neurodivergent prisoners, and ensure reasonable adjustments are implemented to make prison environments more supportive of neurodiverse needs. Some prisons have also introduced neurodiversity wings or created specific areas which focus on the sensory and mental health requirements for prisoners with complex needs.

The HMPPS Prisoner Education Service will be implementing a new, digitalised Additional Learning Needs tool to be used nationally by Core Education suppliers from October 2025. This tool will identify individual strengths and any additional learning needs, including neurodiversity. It will also suggest practical support strategies and offer guidance relating to potential areas of strength and need.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessments she had made of the potential merits of screening for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder in primary schools in (a) Yeovil constituency, (b) Somerset and (c) England.

Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)

This government’s ambition is that all children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) or in alternative provision receive the right support to succeed in their education and as they move into adult life. The SEND code of practice is clear that meeting the needs of a child with special educational needs does not require a diagnostic label or test. Instead, the department expects schools to monitor the progress of pupils and put support in place where needed.

In 2024, the department brought together a group of leading neurodiversity experts to make recommendations to its Ministers on the best ways to support and meet the needs of neurodivergent children and young people in mainstream education settings. The group includes the chair of the independent ADHD Taskforce, convened by NHS England, to ensure join up and support across the health and education systems.

The Partnerships for Inclusion of Neurodiversity in Schools (PINS) programme is a national programme, backed by £13 million of investment.

PINS deploys specialists from health and education workforces to build teacher and staff capacity to identify and better meet the needs of neurodivergent children, in mainstream primary schools. In the 2024/25 financial year, PINS has been delivered to over 1650, around 10%, of all mainstream primary schools, including 38 schools within the Somerset local authority.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment she had made of the potential impact of her Department's proposed changes to Personal Independent Payments on people with mental disorders in Yeovil Constituency.

Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

No assessment has been made.

Information on the impacts of the Pathways to Work Green Paper has been published here ‘Pathways to Work: Reforming Benefits and Support to Get Britain Working Green Paper’(opens in a new tab).

Impacts of the proposed changes depend on many factors, which have been estimated for England and Wales, including how the mix of conditions among claimants evolves over time, and behavioural responses. These are likely to differ across the country and it would not be possible to make an informed assessment at parliamentary constituency level.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of increasing the (a) funding, (b) resources and (c) powers available to the Groceries Code Adjudicator.

Answered by Justin Madders - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)

The Groceries Code Adjudicator (GCA) determines the level of funding and resources he needs to discharge his functions. Subject to Ministerial consent, the GCA imposes an annual levy on the 14 large retailers regulated by the Groceries Supply Code of Practice (the Code) to fund his work.

The government is currently undertaking the fourth statutory review on the effectiveness of the GCA in enforcing the Code. If stakeholders believe there are additional powers that would increase the GCA’s effectiveness, they will be able to share their views through the public consultation that the government will issue shortly to support the statutory review process.

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps she is taking to provide (a) support and (b) funding for cricket nets in rural communities.

Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)

The Government recognises that sports facilities are important to communities up and down the country, including rural communities. High-quality, inclusive facilities help people get active.

Grassroots sport, including cricket, is funded through the Government’s Arm’s Length Body, Sport England, who invest over £250 million in Exchequer and Lottery funding each year. This includes long-term investment to the England and Wales Cricket Board, the National Governing Body for cricket, which receives up to £11.6 million for five years to invest in community cricket initiatives that will benefit everyone, including those in rural areas.

Future funding of sports facilities will be considered as part of the upcoming Spending Review.

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps she plans to take to support the provision of sports (a) clubs and (b) facilities in (i) rural communities and (ii) Yeovil Constituency.

Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)

The Government recognises that sports clubs and facilities are important to communities up and down the country, including rural communities. High-quality, inclusive facilities help people get active. Everyone, no matter who they are or where they live, should have access to them and opportunities to participate in sport and physical activity.

The ongoing responsibility for public leisure facilities lies at Local Authority level. Local Authorities work in partnership with operators who manage leisure services. The Government and Sport England continue to work closely with Local Authorities to monitor pressures in the sector.

The Government has committed to continued funding for grassroots facilities. £100 million will be invested into grassroots sport facilities across the UK through the Multi-Sport Grassroots Facilities Programme. Grassroots sport is also funded through the Government’s Arm’s Length Body, Sport England, who invest over £250 million in Exchequer and Lottery funding each year.

Future funding of sports facilities will be considered as part of the forthcoming Spending Review.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of her Department’s planned reforms to Personal Independence Payments on the mental health of people with disabilities.

Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

We are taking action to address anxiety about the sustainability of the funding of PIP, focusing the benefit more on those with the greatest needs, by introducing a new eligibility requirement. The change to the PIP eligibility criteria will mean that people with a higher level of functional need – for example, people who are unable to complete activities at all, or who require more help from others to complete them – still receive PIP.

We are also taking action to get the basics right and improve the experience for people who use the system of health and disability benefits as set out in the Green Paper. This includes exploring ways to improve PIP assessments through digitalising transfer of medical information, using evidence from eligibility for other services to reduce the need for people with very severe health conditions to undergo functional assessments and improving communication with people receiving awards who are expected to remain on disability benefits for life.

For those who are affected by the new eligibility changes, we are consulting on how best to support this group, including how to make sure health and eligible care needs are met.

Information on the impacts of the Pathways to Work Green Paper has been published here ‘Pathways to Work: Reforming Benefits and Support to Get Britain Working Green Paper’(opens in a new tab).

A further programme of analysis to support development of the proposals in the Green Paper will be developed and undertaken in the coming months.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of her Department's planned changes to Personal Independent Payments on levels of poverty in (a) Yeovil constituency, (b) Somerset and (c) the United Kingdom.

Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

An assessment of the potential impact of the planned changes to health and disability benefits (including Personal Independence Payment) on levels of poverty is available for Great Britain.

This can be found here: Spring Statement 2025 health and disability benefit reforms – Impacts.

An assessment is not available below Great Britain level. The assessment does not include any impacts from the additional employment support announced in the Green Paper.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the level of bullying towards neurodiverse students in schools in (a) Yeovil constituency, (b) Somerset, and (c) England.

Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

The department is clear that schools must take a strong stand against all forms of bullying and should tackle bullying at the earliest opportunity to prevent it from escalating. All schools must have a behaviour policy with measures to prevent all forms of bullying, including the bullying of pupils with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).

The department does not collect data on specific incidents of bullying in schools. We expect schools to develop their own approaches for monitoring bullying and exercise their own judgement as to what will work best for their pupils.

We monitor young people’s perceptions of bullying at a high level, through surveys, which indicate that a higher level of children and young people with SEND, including neurodivergence, report that they have been bullied, than children without SEND. The latest survey can be found here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/6628dd9bdb4b9f0448a7e584/National_behaviour_survey_academic_year_2022_to_2023.pdf.

​The department has published advice to support schools with addressing incidents of bullying, which can be accessed here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/625ee64cd3bf7f6004339db8/Preventing_and_tackling_bullying_advice.pdf, as well as a practical tool to help schools, which can be found on the Educate Against Hate website here: https://www.educateagainsthate.com/resources/respectful-school-communities-self-review-signposting-tool-2/.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what discussions she has had with (a) young people with severe mental illness and (b) organisations representing them on the potential impact of her Department's proposed changes to the eligibility criteria for Personal Independent Payments.

Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

We have committed to introduce a new requirement that, in addition to the existing eligibility criteria, people claiming Personal Independence Payment (PIP) must score a minimum of four points in at least one daily living activity to be eligible for the daily living component of PIP. Our intention is that – subject to parliamentary approval – the changes will apply to new claims and award reviews from November 2026.

In the Green Paper, we are consulting on how best to support those who are affected by this change and what this support could look like. We are keen to hear views from a wide group of people, in particular people with disabilities and health conditions and organisations that represent them.

We also announced plans to launch a wider review of the PIP assessment led by myself, and we will bring together a range of people with disabilities and health conditions, organisations that represent them, and other experts to consider how best to do this and to start the process as part of preparing for a review. We will provide further details as plans progress.

This government strongly values the input of disabled people and representative organisations. Ahead of the formal consultation for the Green Paper, we engaged with a number of disability organisations and other stakeholders, and we will continue to explore ways of engaging with disabled people and their representatives. Since last July, I have had a number of meetings involving Mind, Rethink Mental Health and other organisations concerned about the mental health of young people.

There are nearly one million young people (16-24) not in Education Employment and Training, and the number is rising. Our future depends on young people being able to achieve their full potential. The period when young people transition from full-time education to building their careers is critical in shaping their professional future. We know that disengaging from employment and learning during early adulthood can have a lasting and detrimental impact on career prospects and be detrimental to a young person’s health and well-being.

The Government is launching the Youth Guarantee to ensure that all young people aged 18-21 in England can access quality training opportunities, an apprenticeship or help to find work. It will help them explore a range of pathways into employment, education and training by connecting a range of local services and support, with local accountability to identify and support young people.

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 (a) intergenerational inequality and (b) socio-economic status on mental health.

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

We recognise that many young people are particularly struggling with their mental health, and we know that socio-economic factors play an important role in supporting positive mental health and wellbeing.

That is why, as part of our mission to build a National Health Service that is fit for the future, we will provide access to a specialist mental health professional in every school in England and create a network of open access community Young Futures hubs. We will also recruit 8,500 mental health workers across child and adult services to ease pressure on busy mental health services.

The Get Britain Working White Paper confirms the Government’s commitment to continuing to expand the number of places on Individual Placement Support schemes to help thousands more people with severe mental illness find and stay in employment, helping to interrupt the vicious cycle between poverty and mental illness.

Beyond this, we are taking a whole-of-Government approach to mental health and working with other Government departments to address intergenerational inequality and the socioeconomic determinants of mental health through the vehicle of the Government’s missions.

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 improve the early diagnosis of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder in Yeovil constituency.

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

It is the responsibility of the integrated care boards (ICB) in England to make appropriate provision to meet the health and care needs of their local population, including for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) assessments, in line with relevant National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidelines.

NHS England has established an ADHD taskforce which is working to bring together those with lived experience with experts from the National Health Service, education, charity, and justice sectors to get a better understanding of the challenges affecting those with ADHD, including timely and equitable access to services and support, with the report expected in the summer.

The Somerset ICB advises that it introduced a children and young people’s neurodevelopmental pathway and partnership advice line in 2021. The pathway offers assessment and support for ADHD and autism and since its introduction, NHS Somerset has doubled the capacity for first assessments. In respect of adults, the Somerset NHS Foundation Trust is working collaboratively with local partners to develop a new pathway and service model for the assessment and treatment of ADHD.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to protect neurodiverse pupils from bullying at school in (a) Yeovil constituency, (b) Somerset and (c) England.

Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

The department is clear that schools must take a strong stand against all forms of bullying and should tackle bullying at the earliest opportunity to prevent it from escalating. All schools must have a behaviour policy with measures to prevent all forms of bullying, including the bullying of pupils with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).

The department does not collect data on specific incidents of bullying in schools. We expect schools to develop their own approaches for monitoring bullying and exercise their own judgement as to what will work best for their pupils.

We monitor young people’s perceptions of bullying at a high level, through surveys, which indicate that a higher level of children and young people with SEND, including neurodivergence, report that they have been bullied, than children without SEND. The latest survey can be found here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/6628dd9bdb4b9f0448a7e584/National_behaviour_survey_academic_year_2022_to_2023.pdf.

​The department has published advice to support schools with addressing incidents of bullying, which can be accessed here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/625ee64cd3bf7f6004339db8/Preventing_and_tackling_bullying_advice.pdf, as well as a practical tool to help schools, which can be found on the Educate Against Hate website here: https://www.educateagainsthate.com/resources/respectful-school-communities-self-review-signposting-tool-2/.

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 improve support for people with Myalgic Encephalomyelitis in Yeovil constituency.

Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

NHS England is responsible for allocating funding to integrated care boards (ICBs), including the Somerset ICB which covers the Yeovil constituency, and ICBs are in turn responsible for commissioning specialist myalgic encephalomyelitis, also known as chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS), services to meet the needs of their population, subject to local prioritisation and funding.

The process of commissioning services should take into account best practice guidance such as the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence’s (NICE) guidance on ME/CFS diagnosis and management, published in October 2021. The NICE’s guidelines provide recommendations on the principles of care for people with severe ME/CFS, including hospital care, and adapting a multidisciplinary approach involving access to a range of health and social care professionals based on needs.

At a national level, we aim to publish the ME/CFS final delivery plan by the end of June 2025. The plan will focus on boosting research, improving attitudes and education, and bettering the lives of the people with this debilitating disease. The responses to the interim delivery plan consultation, along with continued close engagement with the Government, the National Health Service, and external stakeholders, will inform the development of the final ME/CFS delivery plan.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans he has to support the provision of maternity services in south Somerset.

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

The Department is aware of temporary changes to services at Yeovil District Hospital, which have been made in response to several factors including responding to a recent Care Quality Commission inspection and due to not currently being able to meet staffing levels required to provide safe services for mothers, babies and families. The South West NHS England regional team, integrated care board and trust are monitoring the situation closely and working collectively to review the situation and develop proposals to ensure safe future service provision of maternity services.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps she is taking to ensure the provision of accessible social housing for disabled people in rural areas in (a) Yeovil constituency, (b) Somerset and (c) England.

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

At Spring statement, the government announced an immediate injection of £2 billion to support delivery of the biggest increase in social and affordable housebuilding in a generation and contribute to our ambitious Plan for Change milestone of building 1.5 million safe and decent homes in this Parliament. Further detail can be found in the Written Ministerial Statement made on 25 March 2025 (HCWS549).

The investment made at Spring statement follows the £800 million in new in-year funding which has been made available for the 2021-26 Affordable Homes Programme and that will support the delivery of up to 7,800 new homes, with more than half of them being Social Rent homes.

We will set out set details of new investment to succeed the 2021-26 Affordable Homes Programme at the Spending Review. This new investment will deliver a mix of homes for sub-market rent and homeownership, with a particular focus on delivering homes for social rent.

Homes England and GLA will assess bids received in the usual way before awarding funding. Exact funding to different places and the locations of homes that will be built will depend on the bids received from local councils and housing associations.

Local authorities are responsible for their own allocation scheme for social housing within the framework of legislation. By law, people who are homeless must be given ‘reasonable preference’ (priority) and local authorities can give ‘additional preference’ (high priority) to those who have urgent housing needs.

The National Planning Policy Framework makes clear that local planning authorities should assess the size, types and tenure of housing needed for different groups, including disabled people, and to reflect this in their planning policies. My Department has set out guidance for councils in preparing planning policies on housing for disabled people. This can be found on gov.uk here.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps she is taking to ensure the provision of affordable housing for disabled people in rural communities in (a) Yeovil constituency, (b) Somerset and (c) England.

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

At Spring statement, the government announced an immediate injection of £2 billion to support delivery of the biggest increase in social and affordable housebuilding in a generation and contribute to our ambitious Plan for Change milestone of building 1.5 million safe and decent homes in this Parliament. Further detail can be found in the Written Ministerial Statement made on 25 March 2025 (HCWS549).

The investment made at Spring statement follows the £800 million in new in-year funding which has been made available for the 2021-26 Affordable Homes Programme and that will support the delivery of up to 7,800 new homes, with more than half of them being Social Rent homes.

We will set out set details of new investment to succeed the 2021-26 Affordable Homes Programme at the Spending Review. This new investment will deliver a mix of homes for sub-market rent and homeownership, with a particular focus on delivering homes for social rent.

Homes England and GLA will assess bids received in the usual way before awarding funding. Exact funding to different places and the locations of homes that will be built will depend on the bids received from local councils and housing associations.

Local authorities are responsible for their own allocation scheme for social housing within the framework of legislation. By law, people who are homeless must be given ‘reasonable preference’ (priority) and local authorities can give ‘additional preference’ (high priority) to those who have urgent housing needs.

The National Planning Policy Framework makes clear that local planning authorities should assess the size, types and tenure of housing needed for different groups, including disabled people, and to reflect this in their planning policies. My Department has set out guidance for councils in preparing planning policies on housing for disabled people. This can be found on gov.uk here.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make it his policy to prevent the planned closure of Yeovil District Hospital’s Maternity Unit.

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

The Government is aware of temporary changes to services at Yeovil District Hospital that have been made in response to several factors, including a recent Care Quality Commission inspection and not being able to currently meet staffing levels required to provide safe services for babies and families.

The temporary closure is for an initial period of six months, when births and expectant mothers are being offered safe birthing at surrounding hospitals in Taunton, Dorchester and Bath. Outpatient clinics for pregnant mothers such as obstetric and midwifery antenatal clinics, scanning, antenatal screening services and home births will continue at Yeovil District Hospital as normal.

The South West NHS England regional team, NHS Somerset Integrated Care Board and Somerset NHS Foundation Trust are working collectively to mitigate the risk of this temporary closure and ensure the wider systems work together to provide safe services in the meantime. Responsibility for the delivery, implementation and funding decisions for services ultimately rests with the appropriate National Health Service commissioning body.

There are real issues in maternity care, but also outstanding examples of care. It will not be an overnight recovery, but we will be making steady improvements to ensure all women receive safe, personalised, and compassionate care. The Government continues to work with the NHS as it delivers its three-year maternity and neonatal plan to improve maternity and neonatal services.

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 the planned closure of Yeovil District Hospital’s Maternity Unit on (a) public health and (b) patient safety in South Somerset.

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

The Government is aware of temporary changes to services at Yeovil District Hospital that have been made in response to several factors, including a recent Care Quality Commission inspection and not being able to currently meet staffing levels required to provide safe services for babies and families.

The temporary closure is for an initial period of six months, when births and expectant mothers are being offered safe birthing at surrounding hospitals in Taunton, Dorchester and Bath. Outpatient clinics for pregnant mothers such as obstetric and midwifery antenatal clinics, scanning, antenatal screening services and home births will continue at Yeovil District Hospital as normal.

The South West NHS England regional team, NHS Somerset Integrated Care Board and Somerset NHS Foundation Trust are working collectively to mitigate the risk of this temporary closure and ensure the wider systems work together to provide safe services in the meantime. Responsibility for the delivery, implementation and funding decisions for services ultimately rests with the appropriate National Health Service commissioning body.

There are real issues in maternity care, but also outstanding examples of care. It will not be an overnight recovery, but we will be making steady improvements to ensure all women receive safe, personalised, and compassionate care. The Government continues to work with the NHS as it delivers its three-year maternity and neonatal plan to improve maternity and neonatal services.

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 support (a) NHS Somerset Integrated Care Board and (b) local hospital trusts to (i) improve working culture and (ii) reduce stress-related illness in hospitals.

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

The Government inherited a broken National Health Service with an overworked and demoralised workforce.

We hugely value all NHS staff and are committed to improving organisational culture and working conditions, so we can keep staff healthy, motivated, and retain valuable skills. That is why one of the government’s first actions was to give NHS staff an above inflation pay rise.

Local employers across the NHS have arrangements in place for supporting staff, including occupational health provision, employee support programmes, and a focus on healthy working environments. At a national level, NHS England has made available additional support, including emotional and psychological health and wellbeing support.

Closure of Yeovil District Hospital’s maternity unit

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Found: Charalambous II: Chris Bloore III: Graeme Downie IV: Ian Sollom V: Sarah Edwards and John Cooper VI: Adam Dance

Found: MacCleary, Max Wilkinson, Susan Murray, Lisa Smart, Mr Paul Kohler, Liz Jarvis, Mr Lee Dillon, Adam Dance

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