Business of the House

Sarah Dyke Excerpts

Thursday 11th December 2025 Commons Chamber

[Sir Alan Campbell]

I thank my hon. Friend for raising the work of the Courtyard Pantry Enterprise, because small businesses are at the heart of our economy. We are committed to supporting small and medium-sized enterprises through our small business plan, which will break down barriers to starting a small business. We are working across Government to make sure that farms and farmers are brought into that, because it is a great opportunity. I invite my hon. Friend to go into these matters in further detail, perhaps in the pre-Christmas Adjournment debate.

[Sarah Dyke (Glastonbury and Somerton) (LD)]

Yesterday, I hosted a mulled cider event with the National Association of Cider Makers. Cider makers in Glastonbury and Somerton are increasingly focused on survival, as uncertainty grows around future inheritance tax relief. Cider making is uniquely capital-intensive and requires special equipment for milling cider apples, so many family cider businesses exceed the £1 million threshold. Will the Leader of the House bring a little festive cheer to my cider makers in Glastonbury and Somerton, and advise me on how I might meet the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs to discuss the impact of changes to agricultural property relief on cider makers?

[Sir Alan Campbell]

That is probably more a Treasury matter than a matter for the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. It will be the Second Reading of the Finance Bill next Tuesday, and I am confident that Committee stage of the Finance Bill will take place in the new year, once we return from the recess; the hon. Lady may want to raise these matters directly with the Treasury then.

Business of the House

Sarah Dyke Excerpts

Thursday 4th December 2025 Commons Chamber

[Sir Alan Campbell]

My hon. Friend is doing just that by raising this matter on the Floor of the House, as I am sure she will continue to do—this matter is important to her and many other Members. As she points out, we are taking action to deliver additional driving tests and to prevent learners from being exploited by online bots. I will ensure that the Minister has heard what she said, and that they continue to keep the House updated on these matters.

[Sarah Dyke (Glastonbury and Somerton) (LD)]

Yesterday, in my role as chair of the all-party parliamentary group on women in defence, and alongside Angela Owen OBE, who founded Women in Defence UK in 2011, I was pleased to chair a briefing to discuss the publication of this year’s Women in Defence charter data report. The report shows that women account for roughly 25% of the total defence workforce, but for only 21% of directors and 23% of board-level positions. If the Government are serious about building a defence sector that lives up to its promises of equality and inclusion, will the Leader of the House advise me on how I might meet the relevant Minister to discuss the progression of more women into leadership roles in defence?

[Sir Alan Campbell]

I pay tribute to the hon. Lady and the APPG for their work. We are serious about the matters that she raises. I will ensure that she gets an opportunity to set them out in person at a meeting with the relevant Minister.

Business of the House

Sarah Dyke Excerpts

Thursday 27th November 2025 Commons Chamber

[Sir Alan Campbell]

As my hon. Friend rightly says, we are committed to ending unscrupulous fire-and-rehire practices through the Employment Rights Bill. I hope that the company she refers to has heard her comments. She may wish to raise these matters during the Budget debate or in the upcoming Christmas Adjournment debate, so that, if necessary, she can call the company out.

[Sarah Dyke (Glastonbury and Somerton) (LD)]

Last year, gig ticket scams cost music lovers over £1.6 million, as fans were exploited by greedy ticket touts. The money they paid for fake tickets often went on to fund serious organised crime groups. That makes people less willing to buy tickets for live events, which undermines that important industry, particularly in areas like Glastonbury and Somerton. May we have a debate in Government time on the ticket resale market and ticket scams?

[Sir Alan Campbell]

As the hon. Lady will know, the Government are committed to bringing forward measures to address those issues. When we do so, there will be ample time to debate the points that she raises.

Business of the House

Sarah Dyke Excerpts

Thursday 26th June 2025 Commons Chamber

[Lucy Powell]

I join my hon. Friend in congratulating Joy Watson, and we send our best to her and her husband Tony. Like thousands of others across the country, they live with dementia every day. We thank the carers who support those living with dementia. This Government are committed to dementia services and making sure that we have the best research and innovation on dementia. The Health Secretary will continue to keep the House updated as part of his 10-year plan.

[Sarah Dyke (Glastonbury and Somerton) (LD)]

June is Gypsy, Roma and Traveller History Month, celebrating the colourful histories and contributions of those communities. People are drawn to Glastonbury and Somerton as a place of pilgrimage, because of its unique spiritual heritage. After the Conservative cuts, we have no sites across Somerset for our Gypsy, Roma, and Traveller communities. Can we have a debate in Government time on support for the Gypsy, Roma and Traveller community?

[Lucy Powell]

As the hon. Lady is the MP for the Glastonbury festival site—or an area close to the site—may I join her in welcoming all those going to the festival this weekend, where it is likely to be very hot? She raises an important point about the Gypsy/Roma community and the need to support it where we can. This would make a really good topic for a debate.

Business of the House

Sarah Dyke Excerpts

Thursday 22nd May 2025 Commons Chamber

[Lucy Powell]

These things do not always go down well with everybody, but I join my hon. Friend in congratulating Falkirk FC on its back-to-back promotion and all its success this season, which I hope continues in the next.

[Sarah Dyke (Glastonbury and Somerton) (LD)]

The recent no-notice closure of the special care baby unit and maternity unit at Yeovil district hospital has shocked residents across Glastonbury and Somerton. A soon-to-be first-time dad from Martock told me:

“We are now left in this limbo state as the local NHS trust takes care of its poor management affairs”.

He is not alone; many people have expressed concern that adequate steps seem not to have been taken by the integrated care board and Somerset NHS trust to protect maternity care services in Yeovil. Could we have a debate in Government time specifically on improving maternity care services?

[Lucy Powell]

I am really sorry to hear about the closure of services at Yeovil hospital. I do not know the reasons behind it, but I will ensure that all Members whose constituencies are in the hospital’s catchment area are updated by Ministers on the action plan to reopen the services as quickly as possible. The hon. Lady raises an important matter, in which many Members across the House take a great interest: making sure we have the very best, world-class maternity services available for every single community in the country. I am sure it would be a good topic for a debate.

Business of the House

Sarah Dyke Excerpts

Thursday 24th April 2025 Commons Chamber

[Lucy Powell]

I certainly join my hon. Friend in congratulating William on highlighting the issues of road safety in Bacup and across Rossendale and Darwen. He is absolutely right: road safety matters attract a great deal of interest in this House. We will soon deliver an updated strategic framework for road safety. I will ensure that that is brought to this House, and I will consider his request for a debate.

[Sarah Dyke (Glastonbury and Somerton) (LD)]

Some 77% of LGBTQ+ millennials are considering starting a family, but only three out of 42 integrated care boards in England give female same-sex couples access to fertility funding. Others ask for six to 12 rounds of self-funded treatment before funding is considered. As we celebrate Lesbian Visibility Week, could we have a debate in Government time about the discrimination that same-sex couples face when accessing fertility treatment?

[Lucy Powell]

I join the hon. Lady in supporting Lesbian Visibility Week, and she raises a really important matter. We should be supporting all couples of whatever kind who want to start a family, with all the joy that that brings and all the support that those families can bring to the babies and so on. I will ensure that the hon. Lady gets a full ministerial reply, but I am sorry to hear about the postcode lottery she has described.

Business of the House

Sarah Dyke Excerpts

Thursday 6th March 2025 Commons Chamber

[Lucy Powell]

I am sorry to hear about the tragic event in my hon. Friend�s constituency, and water safety is of real importance. We have to educate people on regular occasions and ensure that the rescue services are there. I will certainly ensure that her suggestion is looked at carefully and that she gets a response.

[Sarah Dyke (Glastonbury and Somerton) (LD)]

I am sure you will appreciate, Madam Deputy Speaker, the importance of the cider industry to my constituency, which is home to many fantastic traditional cider makers: Burrow Hill cider, Bere cider, Hecks cider, Harry�s cider and Tricky cider, to name just a few. However, as we enter the spring blossom season, many independent cider makers are worried about the impact of the forthcoming extended producer responsibility regulations. Can we have a debate in Government time on the impact of EPR regulations on independent traditional cider makers?

[Lucy Powell]

As a regular attender of Glastonbury festival, I have partaken in a bit of Glastonbury cider over the years, and I can confirm that it is excellent cider�although perhaps I could not remember that towards the end of having it. I am not actually aware of the new regulations that she mentions, but I will absolutely ensure that she gets a full response about them.

Business of the House

Sarah Dyke Excerpts

Thursday 27th February 2025 Commons Chamber

[Sarah Dyke (Glastonbury and Somerton) (LD)]

UK food resilience is more delicate than ever. The country’s ability to withstand future crises has been brought into question by the National Preparedness Commission’s recent report, yet family farms that support the provision of the nation’s food security, including the several hundred in Glastonbury and Somerton, are, in the words of the National Farmers Union president, “taking a battering”. May we have a debate in Government time about national preparedness, food security and resilience?

[Lucy Powell]

This Government are committed to food security, farming and our rural communities. We are putting in extra money—£5 billion over two years—to support farmers, and we have a 25-year farming road map and a new deal for farmers. So there are a whole range of measures, but food security underpins our farming plans, and I will ensure the hon. Lady is updated on these important matters.

Business of the House

Sarah Dyke Excerpts

Thursday 6th February 2025 Commons Chamber

[Lucy Powell]

I certainly join my hon. Friend in marking Children’s Mental Health Week, and he is right to raise these important matters. Mental health services, especially those for young people, have been the poor relation for far too long. I think that all of us, as constituency MPs, parents and others, recognise that the mental health crisis among our young people deserves the attention that it needs, which is why we are recruiting more mental health workers. I think that this would be a very good topic for a debate.

[Sarah Dyke (Glastonbury and Somerton) (LD)]

Next week is Mind Your Head week, which aims to raise awareness of mental health challenges facing the farming community. The theme this year is “positivity, resilience, and love”.

Women in farming occupy many roles both on and off the farm, balancing childcare, caring responsibilities and non-farming work. They often have to manage gender inequalities in agriculture, and in some cases are victims of domestic violence and rural crime. Their voices and mental health struggles are rarely heard, but a new study conducted by the University of Exeter seeks to shed light on this important issue. Will the Leader of the House grant us a debate in Government time on the mental health. of women in farming?'

[Lucy Powell]

The hon. Lady has taken the opportunity —an important opportunity—to raise an issue which I am sure will be of interest to many Members on both sides of the House: the role that women play in farming and how vital that role is, and some of the challenges that they experience, often in silence or without recognition. I am sure that this too would be a very good topic for a debate.

Business of the House

Sarah Dyke Excerpts

Thursday 23rd January 2025 Commons Chamber

[Lucy Powell]

I wish my hon. Friend luck on her run—I am glad that she did not ask me to join her, because that is not something the public are quite ready for yet. She is absolutely right that it is the many voluntary organisations such as Active Fusion that do the vital work of making sure that young people and others remain active, fit and healthy, and that they are given fun ways to do that. That is vital for the future health of the nation. And these organisations often do all of this work as volunteers, or for free.

[Sarah Dyke (Glastonbury and Somerton) (LD)]

Ambulance crews strive every day to provide the very best care for their patients, but ambulances are not arriving to the most serious emergencies quickly enough. An 89-year-old Somerton constituent recently had a fall at home and was left lying on the floor in agony for 10 hours. Sadly, that is all too common, as South Western Ambulance Service has among the worst records for waiting times across the UK. May we have a debate in Government time on ambulance waiting times in Somerset?

[Lucy Powell]

The hon. Lady is absolutely right. Ambulance wait times, which are closely linked to A&E wait times, which in turn are closely linked to what is happening in many of our hospitals, are the big legacy in the NHS that this Government have inherited. There is no greater symptom of an NHS in crisis than the unacceptably long wait times that she describes. That is why we have put record investment into the NHS this year, and we will continue to prioritise the NHS in further spending rounds. We want to get A&E and ambulance wait times right down, because these waits are completely unacceptable and are putting lives at risk.