Asked by: Adam Dance (Liberal Democrat - Yeovil)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when the scheme for Withdrawal of Certificates of Exemption for Dogs Wrongly Registered as XL Bullies will be (a) finalised and (b) implemented.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government is continuing to develop a withdrawal scheme so that owners who no longer believe that their dog is an XL Bully type can apply to have their certificate of exemption withdrawn.
The Government does not have a definitive timeline for when this process will be available. Officials are working diligently to develop the withdrawal scheme as soon as possible and further details will be shared once finalised.
Asked by: Adam Dance (Liberal Democrat - Yeovil)
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 rising medication costs on (a) pharmacies in Yeovil constituency and (b) their ability to provide prescriptions.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Drug Tariff, a monthly publication, sets out reimbursement prices to be paid to pharmacy contractors for the medicines that they dispense. Whilst we do not look at specific areas of the United Kingdom or specific medicines, we do have arrangements in place to mitigate against rising medication costs for pharmacies, that ensure they are paid enough overall above what it costs them to purchase medicines.
Where prices increase significantly and rapidly, concessionary prices can be granted by the Department to ensure that pharmacy contractors are paid fairly, and can access medicines for their patients, even when market prices increase.
Concessionary prices are set using 'real time' market data provided to the Department under the Health Service Products (Provision and Disclosure of Information) Regulations 2018 on prices and stock levels intended for retail pharmacy businesses in England. This ensures that prices set are reflective of the market and aims to reimburse pharmacy contractors fairly.
For branded medicine such as Actimorph the Department sets maximum list prices which are controlled through the Voluntary scheme for branded medicines Pricing, Access and Growth and the statutory scheme.
Asked by: Adam Dance (Liberal Democrat - Yeovil)
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 rising cost of Actimorph on its provision in Yeovil constituency.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Drug Tariff, a monthly publication, sets out reimbursement prices to be paid to pharmacy contractors for the medicines that they dispense. Whilst we do not look at specific areas of the United Kingdom or specific medicines, we do have arrangements in place to mitigate against rising medication costs for pharmacies, that ensure they are paid enough overall above what it costs them to purchase medicines.
Where prices increase significantly and rapidly, concessionary prices can be granted by the Department to ensure that pharmacy contractors are paid fairly, and can access medicines for their patients, even when market prices increase.
Concessionary prices are set using 'real time' market data provided to the Department under the Health Service Products (Provision and Disclosure of Information) Regulations 2018 on prices and stock levels intended for retail pharmacy businesses in England. This ensures that prices set are reflective of the market and aims to reimburse pharmacy contractors fairly.
For branded medicine such as Actimorph the Department sets maximum list prices which are controlled through the Voluntary scheme for branded medicines Pricing, Access and Growth and the statutory scheme.
Asked by: Adam Dance (Liberal Democrat - Yeovil)
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 merits of updating National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidelines on anxiety.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government has made no such assessment. National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines are developed independently by experts based on a thorough assessment of the available evidence and through extensive engagement with a wide range of stakeholders. They represent best practice and healthcare professionals are expected to take them fully into account in the care and treatment of their patients. NICE keeps its guidance under active surveillance and decisions on whether published guidelines should be updated in light of new evidence are taken by the NICE prioritisation board, chaired by the NICE Chief Medical Officer, in line with its published prioritisation framework. There are currently no plans to update the guideline on generalised anxiety or panic disorder.
Asked by: Adam Dance (Liberal Democrat - Yeovil)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of replacing the business rates system on businesses in Yeovil constituency.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Government has already started the work of reforming our business rates system by introducing new permanently lower multipliers for eligible retail, hospitality and leisure (RHL) properties. These new multipliers are worth nearly £1 billion per year and will benefit over 750,000 properties.
The Government is also supporting small businesses to grow. At Budget, the Government announced the extension of Small Business Rates Relief (SBRR) so that businesses opening second premises can retain their SBRR for three years, tripling the current allowance.
The Call for Evidence, published at Budget, built on the findings of the Transforming Business Rates: Discussion Paper and asked stakeholders for more detailed evidence on how the business rates system influences investment decisions. We are carefully considering representations we’ve received, and a Government response to the Call for Evidence will be published in due course.
Any reforms taken forward will be phased over the course of the Parliament.
Asked by: Adam Dance (Liberal Democrat - Yeovil)
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 support NHS services in Somerset to improve coordination between community mental health teams and specialist diabetes services in (a) Yeovil constituency and (b) Somerset.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Improving the integration between community mental health services and other physical health services and meeting the holistic needs of people with severe mental health problems is a priority, as set out in the Community Mental Health Framework.
The National Health Service in Somerset, including Yeovil, has a personalised care programme which seeks to recognise individual needs, knowledge, and priorities. Where someone has needs that encompass mental health and diabetes services, Somerset’s personalised care programme will meet those needs by bringing together tailored input from specialist teams. This work will be developed as part of neighbourhood commissioning in the coming years, enabling services to work together to meet complex needs.
Asked by: Adam Dance (Liberal Democrat - Yeovil)
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 removal of Council of Governors from foundation trusts on the governance of those trusts.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The removal of the councils of governors from National Health Service foundation trusts (FTs) forms part of the wider aim of the 10-Year Health Plan to ensure that hospitals put patient experiences and outcomes at the heart of their decision-making. The regulatory functions supporting oversight of the governance of FTs are underpinned by the NHS provider licence which will continue.
While governors elected by the public and other stakeholders have provided helpful advice and oversight for some FTs, we now need to move to a more dynamic model, drawing on patient, staff, and stakeholder insight. For example, approaches to engagement that better reflect local demographics and geography rather than a ‘one size fits all’ governor model, as well as supporting an increasing focus on the outcomes of the engagement, including the evidence that local people are involved in key decisions about how care is provided and their voices are listened to.
Asked by: Adam Dance (Liberal Democrat - Yeovil)
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 public representation in NHS Foundation Trusts.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The removal of the councils of governors from National Health Service foundation trusts (FTs) forms part of the wider aim of the 10-Year Health Plan to ensure that hospitals put patient experiences and outcomes at the heart of their decision-making. The regulatory functions supporting oversight of the governance of FTs are underpinned by the NHS provider licence which will continue.
While governors elected by the public and other stakeholders have provided helpful advice and oversight for some FTs, we now need to move to a more dynamic model, drawing on patient, staff, and stakeholder insight. For example, approaches to engagement that better reflect local demographics and geography rather than a ‘one size fits all’ governor model, as well as supporting an increasing focus on the outcomes of the engagement, including the evidence that local people are involved in key decisions about how care is provided and their voices are listened to.
Asked by: Adam Dance (Liberal Democrat - Yeovil)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps he is taking to support Somerset Council in rural town centre regeneration in Yeovil constituency.
Answered by Blair McDougall - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The government is committed to tackling the issues that matter to rural communities, including Somerset council. We have launched the Final Local Government Finance Settlement through which the government have updated the way we fund local authorities. By the end of the multi-year Settlement (2028-29), the government will have provided a 15.5% increase in Core Spending Power for local authorities in England, worth over £11.4 billion, compared to 2025-26.
This month this Department have also announced that Leonardo UK within Yeovil constituency has secured a £1 billion contract sustaining thousands of skilled British Jobs and I look forward to seeing how DBT can continue to work closely with rural communities.
Asked by: Adam Dance (Liberal Democrat - Yeovil)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps he is taking to create cross-departmental (a) structures and (b) regulations that support small and medium-sized enterprises in Yeovil constituency.
Answered by Blair McDougall - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Government is committed to reducing regulatory compliance costs for SMEs and announced in March a commitment to reduce the administrative burden of regulation for all businesses by £5.6 billion by the end of this Parliament.
We are putting in place the policies and services needed to drive growth. This includes tackling late payments, boosting access to finance, and removing red tape to enable small businesses, including those in Yeovil constituency, to grow and thrive. SMEs can also access a wealth of business and export support via business.gov.uk.