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 Somerset Integrated Care Board to increase access to therapeutic play services in Yeovil constituency.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government recognises the importance of supporting and maintaining children’s right to play in healthcare settings.
The primary National Health Service trust responsible for services in the Yeovil constituency is the Somerset NHS Foundation Trust. The Somerset NHS Foundation Trust is part of a regional delivery network in the South West which provides support to help trusts develop and improve therapeutic play services. This group brings together play specialists, nurses, managers, and representatives from integrated care boards and other operational delivery networks. The group’s remit includes supporting trusts to implement the national Play Well Toolkit, published by NHS England and Starlight in June 2025.
In 2025, the working group conducted a review of hospital play services across participating trusts against the Play Well Toolkit standards. Yeovil District Hospital and Musgrove Park Hospital were included in this review. The findings highlighted common challenges across the region, such as staffing constraints and gaps in seven-day and emergency department provision. These insights are now informing local business cases and shaping regional priorities.
Asked by: Bambos Charalambous (Labour - Southgate and Wood Green)
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 tackle health inequalities impacting women.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government is committed to building a fairer Britain, to ensure people can live well for longer. Our reimagined National Health Service will tackle inequalities in both access and outcomes, as well as give everyone, no matter who they are or where they come from, the means to engage with the National Health Service on their own terms. This financial year the Department has invested approximately £53 million in direct research awards on research to support the health of women. This includes conditions that are unique to women, such as endometriosis, and health topics that are relevant to women such as violence and abuse.
Significant progress has been made towards delivering the ambitions in the 2022 Women’s Health Strategy, for example improving women and girls’ awareness and access to services and driving research to benefit women’s health, but we know there is more to do.
That is why we are renewing the Women’s Health Strategy, to assess the progress that has been made so far and to continue progressing delivery.
The renewed strategy will update on the delivery of the 2022 Women’s Health Strategy and set out how the Government is taking further steps to improve women’s health as we deliver the 10-Year Health Plan. It will also address gaps from the 2022 strategy and drive further change on enduring challenges such as creating a system that listens to women and tackling health inequalities.
Asked by: Rupert Lowe (Independent - Great Yarmouth)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment has been made of the effectiveness of hospitality apprenticeship schemes in tackling labour shortages in the pub sector.
Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
Apprenticeships are one of the ways in which employers in the hospitality sector can fill skills gaps and address labour shortages. Employers in the sector have developed a number of apprenticeships including the Level 2 Food and Beverage Team Member, Level 3 Hospitality Supervisor, and Level 4 Hospitality Manager. Published data on apprenticeships, including within the hospitality sector, can be found at: Apprenticeships, Academic year 2024/25 - Explore education statistics - GOV.UK.
To support our ambition of 50,000 more young people undertaking apprenticeships and foundation apprenticeships, we will expand foundation apprenticeships into sectors where young people are traditionally recruited, exploring occupations such as hospitality and retail. Additionally, to support SMEs to access apprenticeships, the government will fully fund apprenticeship training for non-levy paying employers (essentially SMEs) for all eligible people aged under 25 from the next academic year. Smaller employers in all sectors will benefit from this change.
The department and Skills England engage regularly with the hospitality sector, including industry bodies such as UK Hospitality, regarding training for the sector and the government’s plans for skills.
The government has also supported other sector-based initiatives such as the development of a Hospitality Skills Passport and hospitality Sector-based Work Academy Programmes (SWAPs).
Asked by: Samantha Niblett (Labour - South Derbyshire)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how their department can work with others across Government to ensure there are the right skills and workforce in place to support local authorities in developing careers in amenity horticulture and parks.
Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
DWP is working alongside sector-owning departments to ensure people have access to training to acquire the skills needed by employers, including Local Authorities.
Local agencies and local government are well placed to understand their local labour market, build connections with employers, and help knit together local services to address the barriers their citizens face to securing and succeeding in good work.
To achieve this, we are already delivering Local Get Britain Working plans in all areas of England. Led by local government and co-developed with local NHS, Jobcentre Plus and wider stakeholders, these plans will identify local labour market challenges/priorities and support the integration of locally-delivered services.
We know that a key part of unlocking local growth is ensuring that skills provision is matched to employer need at all skills levels. Local Skills Improvement Plans (LSIPs), overseen by Skills England, bring together employers, local leaders, colleges, universities and independent training providers to identify and address skills gaps from entry level to postgraduate qualifications. They are three-year Plans, with the second cycle now in development.
Your constituency is covered by the East Midlands LSIP. The designated Employer Representative Body is the Federation of Small Businesses, who are working closely with Skills England and the East Midlands Combined County Authority (EMCCA). This will ensure employer views continue to shape the LSIP whilst drawing on the deep local economic insight of EMCCA and its ability to influence and implement key interventions across priority local sectors.
Skills England have developed several occupational standards, apprenticeships and technical qualifications that support career development in horticulture, landscaping, parks management, and associated technical services. These span entry-level through to advanced management roles and include,
There are qualifications and Higher Technical Qualifications (HTQ) available that are developed and approved by Skills England based on the above occupational standards. These include the T Level in Agriculture, Land Management and Production, which has a specific occupational specialism in Ornamental and Environmental Horticulture and Landscaping, and a Higher Technical Qualification in Horticulture and Applied Science.
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 adequacy NHS support pathways pathways for people with Tourette’s Syndrome in (a) Yeovil constituency and (b) England.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The NHS England Neurology Transformation Programme and the Getting It Right First Time (GIRFT) initiative are playing an important role in improving care for people with Tourette’s syndrome, including in Yeovil. These programmes aim to ensure that patients receive timely, high-quality, and evidence-based care. For Tourette’s, this means supporting local integrated care boards (ICBs) to develop clearer referral pathways, improve access to multidisciplinary teams, and embed best practice in local services. GIRFT also uses data to identify gaps in provision and highlight where improvements can be made, helping to ensure that people with Tourette’s are not left behind in the transformation of neurological care.
Our 10-Year Health Plan is designed to transform the way we deliver care for people with long-term conditions, including Tourette’s syndrome. By shifting the focus from hospital-based treatment to more integrated, community-led care, the plan aims to ensure that individuals with Tourette’s can access timely support closer to home, including in Yeovil.
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 people with Tourette syndrome in Yeovil constituency.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The NHS England Neurology Transformation Programme and the Getting It Right First Time (GIRFT) initiative are playing an important role in improving care for people with Tourette’s syndrome, including in Yeovil. These programmes aim to ensure that patients receive timely, high-quality, and evidence-based care. For Tourette’s, this means supporting local integrated care boards (ICBs) to develop clearer referral pathways, improve access to multidisciplinary teams, and embed best practice in local services. GIRFT also uses data to identify gaps in provision and highlight where improvements can be made, helping to ensure that people with Tourette’s are not left behind in the transformation of neurological care.
Our 10-Year Health Plan is designed to transform the way we deliver care for people with long-term conditions, including Tourette’s syndrome. By shifting the focus from hospital-based treatment to more integrated, community-led care, the plan aims to ensure that individuals with Tourette’s can access timely support closer to home, including in Yeovil.
Asked by: Mike Martin (Liberal Democrat - Tunbridge Wells)
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 adequacy of the current regulatory framework for designing buildings and the act of building, in the context of the requirements introduced by the Building Safety Act 2022; and what steps are being considered to address knowledge gaps identified within the industry.
Answered by Samantha Dixon - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The Building Safety Act 2022 created duties to keep the safety and standards of buildings under review and also to establish and maintain the Building Advisory Committee, which advises on matters connected with building safety, except those relating to the competence of persons in the built environment industry, and registered building inspectors. The Act also requires the Regulator to prepare a report on certain safety-related matters by October 2026 and consider further provision, or guidance, about stairs and ramps, emergency egress of disabled persons, and automatic water fire suppression systems in relevant buildings, with a view to improving the safety of persons in or about the built environment. Functions are ongoing and no review or assessment of these parts of the Act have been carried out to date.
In response to the Grenfell Inquiry’s recommendation 19, both the regulator, the Architects Registration Board (ARB), and the professional body, the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA), have taken steps to improve the education and training of architects. On 17 December 2025, the government published the Single Construction Regulator prospectus. The prospectus sets out how government will develop a strategy to reform regulation of built environment professionals, including with a view to better support the competency of professionals.
Asked by: Matt Vickers (Conservative - Stockton West)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what progress has been made on developing the cross-departmental Acquired Brain Injury Action Plan; and what mechanisms are in place to ensure the plan addresses regional inequalities in neurorehabilitation services.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department is working closely with NHS England, other Government departments, and stakeholders to finalise the Acquired Brain Injury (ABI) Action Plan, which will set out clear priorities for improving prevention, diagnosis, rehabilitation, and long-term support. Work on the plan is well advanced, and we expect to publish the plan in the first half of 2026.
The Department has worked closely with leading ABI charities through stakeholder forums, the ABI All-Party Parliamentary Group, and a national call for evidence. These organisations have provided expert insight on rehabilitation pathways, community support, and service gaps. Their contributions are directly shaping the plan by informing priorities and practical actions to improve outcomes for individuals and families affected by ABI.
Asked by: Matt Vickers (Conservative - Stockton West)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent work has been undertaken with voluntary sector organisations supporting families affected by acquired brain injury; and how their expertise is being incorporated into the Acquired Brain Injury Action Plan.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department is working closely with NHS England, other Government departments, and stakeholders to finalise the Acquired Brain Injury (ABI) Action Plan, which will set out clear priorities for improving prevention, diagnosis, rehabilitation, and long-term support. Work on the plan is well advanced, and we expect to publish the plan in the first half of 2026.
The Department has worked closely with leading ABI charities through stakeholder forums, the ABI All-Party Parliamentary Group, and a national call for evidence. These organisations have provided expert insight on rehabilitation pathways, community support, and service gaps. Their contributions are directly shaping the plan by informing priorities and practical actions to improve outcomes for individuals and families affected by ABI.
Asked by: Andrew Snowden (Conservative - Fylde)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what metrics are being used to evaluate the effectiveness of the Young Futures Panel pilots.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Young Futures Programme is a key part of the Safer Streets Mission, and the Government’s target to halve knife crime over the next decade and reduce anti-social behaviour and violence against women and girls. Under this programme, the Government is intervening earlier to ensure children and young People who are facing poorer outcomes and are vulnerable to being drawn into crime are identified and offered support in a more systematic way.
As part of this, we are piloting new multi-agency Young Futures Panels. These pilots are proactively identifying and referring children and young people who may currently be falling through the gaps to a range of different support services much earlier. 53 Young Futures Panels went operational in October and November 2025, across the areas of the country that collectively account for more than 80% knife crime and have already helped to support hundreds of at-risk young people into positive, diversionary activity.
To support future delivery, the Home Office has appointed RAND Europe to deliver a process evaluation and feasibility impact study of Young Futures Panel pilots in 2025/26.
The process evaluation will look at how the pilot Panels are implemented across the 20 Violence Reduction Units and 3 Serious Violence Duty partnerships involved in the pilot, identifying good practice and learning. In addition, the Home Office have commissioned RAND to conduct a feasibility study to consider whether a future impact evaluation of the programme is viable.