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 she is taking to improve protections for frontline NHS staff against (a) violence and (b) aggression from (i) patients and (ii) members of the public.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
I refer the Hon. Member to the answer provided on 16 September in response to Question 28051 and on 19 June in response to Question 3468.
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 she is taking to improve protection for frontline NHS staff from (a) racism and (b) discrimination on the basis of any other protected characteristic.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
I refer the Hon. Member to the answer provided on 16 September in response to Question 28051 and on 19 June in response to Question 3468.
Asked by: Adam Dance (Liberal Democrat - Yeovil)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether her Department has assessed the potential merits of introducing a system whereby a proportion of practical driving test appointments are reserved for candidates requiring a retest following a previous unsuccessful practical driving test.
Answered by Justin Madders - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) is unable to prioritise learners who have already taken a practical driving test and been unsuccessful over learners seeking to take their test for the first time. All learner drivers have valid reasons for wanting to access a test appointment as soon as possible, and providing preferential access to one group over another would not be fair.
DVSA is focused on increasing overall test availability and is exploring a range of measures to provide additional test capacity at different stages throughout the booking window. This approach is intended to offer greater choice and opportunity for all learner drivers, rather than prioritising specific groups of learners.
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 she has made of the potential merits of appointing a Minister for neurodiversity.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
As the Minister of State for Social Care, I also have responsibility for neurodiversity.
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 she is taking to support children with neurodevelopmental conditions to access mental health services.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Children and young people with neurodevelopmental conditions should be able to access timely and quality mental health support. We expect services to make reasonable adjustments and provide care tailored to neurodivergent children, including through accessible communication and environments. We are also working to improve coordination between mental health, neurodevelopmental, education, and wider children’s services, so that children receive timely support and are not passed between services.
We are also developing a new cross-Government Mental Health Strategy for England, which will reflect the mental health needs of autistic people and people with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), including where mental health and neurodevelopmental conditions overlap, with a focus on more integrated, equitable, and tailored support. The strategy will be informed by the findings and recommendations of the independent review into prevalence and support for mental health conditions, ADHD, and autism. The review is considering how support can be provided earlier and more effectively, including whether diagnosis has too often become the main gateway to help and how people can receive practical support based on need before and alongside diagnosis.
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 help improve the (a) speed and (b) consistency of diagnostic assessments of (i) Progressive Supranuclear Palsy and (ii) Corticobasal Degeneration in Yeovil constituency.
Answered by James Frith - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP) and corticobasal degeneration (CBD) can be difficult to diagnose in their early stages because their symptoms may resemble those of other neurological conditions, including Parkinson’s disease. Diagnosis is based on specialist clinical assessment and investigations to rule out other conditions.
In Yeovil, National Health Services are taking steps to improve both the speed and consistency of PSP and CBD diagnosis. These include the recruitment of additional neurology consultants, the appointment of inpatient nurse specialists for Parkinson’s disease and related disorders, the introduction of a neurology advice and guidance service for general practitioners (GPs), and plans to expand clinics at community hospitals. Since late 2025 they have also introduced an advice and guidance portal for GPs where they can offer a written treatment plan or arrange an investigation without the need for an outpatient appointment.
These measures are intended to improve access to specialist expertise and ensure outpatient appointments are used effectively for patients requiring diagnosis and treatment planning.
Asked by: Adam Dance (Liberal Democrat - Yeovil)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what her Department's planned timetable is for including social sector buildings in the total number of buildings 11 metres and over in height identified with unsafe cladding in its remediation progress reports.
Answered by Florence Eshalomi - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The number of buildings 11 metres over in height identified with unsafe cladding in the Building Safety Remediation data release already includes social sector buildings. Overall remediation progress information on social sector buildings is available in the Overall remediation progress section of the data release, as well as in the ACM remediation, Building Safety Fund, Cladding Safety Scheme and Social housing self-funded remediation sections of the release.
Asked by: Adam Dance (Liberal Democrat - Yeovil)
Question to the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade, what steps he is taking to support the creation of employment opportunities in (a) Yeovil constituency and (b) Somerset.
Answered by Blair McDougall - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade) (Jointly with the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Government is supporting employment opportunities in Yeovil and across Somerset through its Industrial Strategy and investment in the region’s growth-driving sectors.
In Yeovil, Leonardo UK has been selected for a £1 billion contract to provide 23 new battlefield helicopters. The agreement supports 3,300 jobs at Leonardo’s Yeovil facility and sets up Yeovil as the company’s future centre of excellence for autonomous helicopters. Yeovil College has also been selected as a Defence Technical Excellence College.
Across Somerset, the Government is providing Agratas with a grant of up to £380 million, securing approximately £5 billion of private investment in its battery gigafactory near Bridgwater. The facility is expected to support around 4,200 jobs once fully operational. It is also supporting University College Somerset’s work with Agratas, to deliver training so people across Somerset have the practical, hands-on skills they need to seize the opportunities created by this investment. Somerset hosts two Technical Excellence Colleges: University Centre Somerset College Group, appointed as a Clean Energy Technical Excellence College, and Weston College (in North Somerset) appointed as an Advanced Manufacturing College. Together with Yeovil College, they are among 29 new Technical Excellence Colleges delivering high-quality training in key sectors, backed by £295 million of government investment over the course of this Parliament. This is in addition to wider skills and employment support, including the government’s £2.5bn youth employment package, which will help over 1 million young people by 2029.
Asked by: Adam Dance (Liberal Democrat - Yeovil)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to tackle Authorised Push Payment fraud occurring (a) online or (b) on telecoms networks.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
Through the Fraud Strategy 2026-29, the Government is working with industry, regulators and law enforcement to prevent criminals exploiting online platforms and telecommunications networks to commit fraud.
The Government designated fraud an illegal harm under the Online Safety Act, and since March 2025 in-scope platforms have been required to maintain robust systems to prevent and remove fraudulent content. In July, Ofcom have also set out their proposed measures for the largest social media and search services to adopt to tackle fraudulent paid adverts.
We have established the new Online Crime Centre, backed by over £30 million of investment, bringing together law enforcement, Government, GCHQ and industry partners to identify and disrupt the technological enablers of fraud.
We are also working with industry to improve transparency, accountability and performance in tackling fraud.
In November 2025, we launched the second Telecoms Fraud Charter, containing over 50 actions to identify, prevent and disrupt telecoms-enabled fraud. This includes preventing criminals reaching users through effective data sharing between telecom providers and the banking sector.
The Government also legislated through the Crime and Policing Act 2026 to ban SIM farms, which are commonly used to send scam texts at scale, and continues to work with Ofcom and industry to tackle number spoofing and scam calls.
Asked by: Adam Dance (Liberal Democrat - Yeovil)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made on the potential impact of reductions in levels of banking services on (a) Yeovil constituency and (b) Somerset.
Answered by Lucy Rigby - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Government recognises that cash continues to be used by millions of people across the UK, including those in vulnerable groups, and is committed to protecting access to cash for individuals and businesses.
The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) assumed regulatory responsibility for access to cash in September 2024. Its rules require reasonable access to cash withdrawal and deposit facilities for individuals and businesses, including free services for personal accounts.
Where a resident, community organisation or other interested party feels access to cash in their community is insufficient, they can submit a request for a cash access assessment. LINK, the independent industry coordinating body responsible for making access to cash assessments, will then assess a community’s access to cash needs, and will recommend appropriate solutions, including banking hubs, where it considers a community requires additional cash services.
The most recent FCA data shows 98.1 per cent of people in rural areas live within 3 miles of a free-to-use cash access point offering withdrawals.
In addition to access to cash, the Government is committed to ensuring that people who need in-person banking can continue to access essential services. The Government is aware of the public’s concerns around access to banking services, which are currently not protected in legislation. Whilst there is evidence on a local level of individuals being affected by the closure of bank branches, the Government needs robust evidence from across the UK.
That is why the Government commissioned an independent Review into Access to Banking Services, to assess whether changes to access to in-person banking services are causing consumer detriment and the scale of any detriment. Alongside the Review, the Financial Services and Markets Bill includes a power to allow the Government to take action in future to protect access to banking services, should this be necessary.
The Government understands the importance of banking services to communities, including those in rural and coastal areas and market towns, and continues to work closely with industry to support the roll-out of 350 banking hubs by the end of this Parliament. Over 280 hubs have been announced so far, and more than 240 are already open across the UK.
Banking hubs host community bankers from the main high street banks who can offer a wider range of services similar to those offered in branches, including fraud support. A list can be found here: https://www.cashaccess.co.uk/hubs/community-banker-services/