Adam Dance MP: speeches 2026

Speeches

• 9 Jun 2026 · Summit on Illicit Finance · Hansard source

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  Does my hon. Friend agree that we need the international summit to crack down on fraudsters and scammers abroad? I have a constituent with disabilities who lost £70,000 to a romance fraud, with no checks having been done by the bank. Does the summit not also need to look at that issue?

• 3 Jun 2026 · Seasonal Hospitality Businesses in Coastal Areas · Hansard source

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  The hon. Member talks about the hospitality sector thriving. Does he share my concern that if the Government introduced a tourism tax, our areas could really suffer?

• 3 Jun 2026 · Youth Mental Health Support · Hansard source

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  This is a very important subject. I have disability issues, and I tried to take my life when I was at school. My youth club saved my life. We really need more youth clubs, but in Somerset we now have none. Does the hon. Lady agree that we need better youth provision in our rural communities?

• 3 Jun 2026 · Small Towns: Transport Links · Hansard source

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  To end the exemption for old buses that are not fully accessible under the Public Service Vehicles Accessibility Regulations 2000 will mean that kids from rural constituencies will not be able to get a place on a bus to sixth form anymore, due to the limited bus stock and funding. Will the hon. Member join me in urging the Government—

• 2 Jun 2026 · Children: Development of Essential Skills · Hansard source

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  I thank the Minister for giving way and for answering all my questions, as always. Concerned parents in Yeovil also tell me that kids who have autism, obsessive compulsive disorder, sensory issues or attention deficit disorder cannot find apprenticeships or work, nor have they had help developing the skills they need to get into the creative or agricultural sector. Can the Minister set out what more the Government are doing to support rural schools and employers to get neurodiverse people into those industries?

• 2 Jun 2026 · Children: Development of Essential Skills · Hansard source

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  I totally agree that screen time can be damaging for young people just given a phone or an iPad, but does the hon. Member not agree that screen time can be beneficial if used in the right way to help people with disabilities such as dyslexia?

• 2 Jun 2026 · Children: Development of Essential Skills · Hansard source

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  I thank the hon. Member for Bracknell (Peter Swallow) for securing this important debate. For years, we have had an education system that looks pretty good on league tables or spreadsheets but does not really help young people develop essential skills for dealing with this rapidly changing world. Rather than repeat remarks that I have made before, and that other hon. Members have made today, I will cut to the chase and list some issues and solutions that I urge the Minister to consider—so grab your pen, Minister. The first issue is funding. Somerset is one of the 40 lowest funded education authorities in the UK. We need to see a level playing field for funding, with an increase in school and college funding per pupil above the rate of inflation every year. The second issue is the type of skills we are teaching. Yeovil college does an amazing job with vocational and technical education, but we need the Government to go further. Can we make AI and digital skills training a core part of the national curriculum as its own subject? If we want to innovate, we need teaching that focuses on the skills needed for business and self-employment, although I may be biased because I ran my own landscaping company. Thirdly, we sadly have pockets of real deprivation in Yeovil. Will the Minister extend pupil premium funding to disadvantaged young people aged 16 to 18, so they can get the quality education or training they want, rather than having to work any old job—or worse? My final ask, unsurprisingly, relates to SEND. Can the Minister set out when the research into universal screening will conclude, and whether the Government will commit to adopting it, if that is supported by the research? We cannot help young people develop essential skills without working out how they learn best. More broadly, can the Minister please promise that the upcoming reforms to the SEND system will not mean that children with SEND lose the right to dedicated time with teaching assistants or speech and language therapists to help develop essential skills? The maths GCSE post-16 resit policy sees too many young people with SEND forced to retake exams that are just not useful for them. It comes with stigma and takes time away from developing the skills they actually need. Can the Minister commit to abolishing or reworking the resit policy to meet the needs of a wide range of young people with SEND more flexibly? I could go on for hours about this subject, but I have bent the ear of the Minister many times, so I will leave it there.

• 2 Jun 2026 · Topical Questions · Hansard source

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  T1. If he will make a statement on his departmental responsibilities.

• 2 Jun 2026 · Topical Questions · Hansard source

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  Red diesel costs have rocketed from 78p a litre on 26 February to around 98p a litre now. For Nick, who farms in South Petherton, price rises mean an extra £7,000 per week cost that he basically has to take on the chin. Can the Secretary of State tell Yeovil farmers what steps he is taking to support them with the cost of red diesel?

• 2 Jun 2026 · Community Pharmacies · Hansard source

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  Pharmacists such as Max, who runs South Petherton pharmacy, are taking care of constituents from the other side of my constituency. Our pharmacies in rural areas are expected to do more and more with little extra help. Does my hon. Friend agree that alongside greater funding, we need to see the Government use the NHS workforce plan to properly expand the pharmacy workforce?

• 1 Jun 2026 · Child Sexual Offender Data · Hansard source

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  Will my hon. Friend give way?

• 1 Jun 2026 · Child Sexual Offender Data · Hansard source

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  Brave young constituents in Yeovil reported historical cases of sexual abuse, but workforce shortages in the police, terrible communication and other failings meant years of stress, delays and the Crown Prosecution Service ruling that it could not advance prosecution despite the evidence threshold being met. Does my hon. Friend agree that we need urgent investment to ensure that the criminal justice system can address historical cases of sexual violence and communicate clearly with victims? No young person should see justice denied.

• 19 May 2026 · Topical Questions · Hansard source

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  Will the Secretary of State outline what steps he is taking through the criminal justice system to support victims of violence against women, particularly those who report historical cases of sexual violence? Several of my young constituents have faced terrible communication, years of delay, and ultimately the Crown Prosecution Service not progressing with prosecution.

• 29 Apr 2026 · Agriculture: Government Support · Hansard source

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  Rural crime, particularly equipment theft, continues to cost our farmers huge sums. Will my hon. Friend join me in urging the Government to do more?

• 29 Apr 2026 · Agriculture: Government Support · Hansard source

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  Jack is a lad from my constituency with autism, obsessive-compulsive disorder and sensory issues, and he has a great ambition to work on a dairy farm. Will the Minister look into what she and colleagues can do to give support and confidence to farmers so that they can support passionate young people with special educational needs and disabilities, like Jack, into farming?

• 29 Apr 2026 · Agriculture: Government Support · Hansard source

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  On support, will the Minister give way?

• 28 Apr 2026 · Fire and Rescue Services: Funding · Hansard source

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  Employees of Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service tell me that funding cuts have seen shift systems worsening; rope, water and animal rescue services being scaled back and watches usually running with around six firefighters instead of nine. Does the hon. Member agree that that is putting unexpected pressure on stretched rural fire and rescue teams and will cause a damaging workforce and equipment crisis, all of which may ultimately put people’s lives at risk?

• 28 Apr 2026 · National Accident Prevention Strategy · Hansard source

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  Rural communities face unique challenges when it comes to prevention and addressing accidents. We are more isolated, we have terrible signal, we have roads more likely to lead to crashes and agriculture is Britain’s most dangerous industry. Does the right hon. Gentleman agree that any national accident prevention strategies must focus on rurality and be matched by proper investment in public health funding, which areas such as Somerset have always lost out on?

• 27 Apr 2026 · Animal Testing · Hansard source

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  I thank the hon. Member for North Ayrshire and Arran (Irene Campbell) for leading the debate. I also recognise and thank the hundreds of Yeovil constituents who signed this petition and previous petitions on this subject. Research now shows that the failure rate of translation of drugs from animal testing to human treatments is around 92%, and has been for the past few decades. Those failures are due either to safety concerns or to the fact that the product does not work. However, more than anything, testing on animals, including thousands of dogs and primates, is cruel. Like many of my constituents, I have a lovely dog, who is called Roo. No matter how hard our day might be, when we see that smile and waggy tail, it makes everything so much better. We love our pets like family, so when I see videos of dogs and other animals used for testing in poor conditions, I cannot help but think of my Roo. Of course we have regulations meant to make sure that testing is ethical, but the report for 2024 by the Government’s own Animals in Science Regulation Unit shows that some establishments are still failing to provide proper care for testing animals. That is not good enough and we should stop it immediately. Given that animal testing is cruel and often not efficient, my constituents tell me that they want to see a clear pathway to phasing it out as soon as possible, and in particular an end to animal toxicity testing. We have a real shot at that, thanks to amazing developments in AI, large datasets, cell engineering, cutting-edge disease modelling and other technology and methods. In that context, the Government’s “Replacing animals in science” strategy is a strong start, and I welcome the funding commitments that have come with it. However, I hope the Minister can answer a few questions. On standards, beyond increasing the number of inspectors, what steps are being taken to strengthen regulation and oversight of animal testing, if the Government will not commit to a clear target for phasing it out? When will we see regulation and guidance on AI-informed decision making? How will the Government keep guidance up to date, given how quickly AI is developing? Finally, while it is great that the Government are committed to international leadership and co-operation on ending testing on animals, what action has that commitment translated into so far? What is being done to push the private sector to invest more in development and using alternatives? When we cannot be sure that it is effective, testing on animals is not science—it is just violence. My constituents want no part in it.

• 27 Apr 2026 · Topical Questions · Hansard source

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  My office has been waiting over six months for DWP replies to certain cases. Citizens Advice has reached out because it is not getting replies either. Will the Minister commit to getting us those responses this week, and will he commit to greater resourcing for responding to Members, particularly in relation to universal credit?

• 22 Apr 2026 · Pension Schemes · Hansard source

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  I thank the Minister for his statement. Teresa and Alistair cannot get information or statements on their pension, while Nicola’s payments keep being delayed, damaging her finances. Can the Minister reassure my constituents that no civil servant will be left without timely pension payments? How will the Government restore civil servants’ confidence that the pensions they earn are secure and will be managed fairly?

• 22 Apr 2026 · Osteoporosis and Bone Health · Hansard source

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  Constituents such as Susan have suffered pain and changes to their life because of osteoporosis. Does the hon. Member share the concern of both Susan and I: that we will not see proper fracture liaison services in overlooked rural areas without a fully funded implementation plan to end the postcode lottery for these services?

• 21 Apr 2026 · Alternative Measures to GDP · Hansard source

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  I thank my hon. Friend for giving way, and I commend her on her speech so far. Does she agree that the focus on GDP growth will continue to damage quality of life in rural areas by overlooking environmental damage, access to education, social inequality and worsening public health, and that, if the Government prioritised measures of those issues as much as they do GDP growth, we would see greater investment in overlooked rural areas such as Yeovil?

• 20 Apr 2026 · Maternity Commissioner · Hansard source

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  After lots of campaigning and hard work by NHS staff, Yeovil maternity unit will reopen tomorrow. The lessons learned from the closure of our unit will be included in the current national review into maternity services, but does my hon. Friend agree that the only way recommendations from the review will be properly implemented is with a national maternity commissioner and more consultant midwives?

• 20 Apr 2026 · Security Vetting · Hansard source

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  The Prime Minister promised that, unlike the Tories, his Government would govern well and restore public trust, yet this whole sorry Mandelson saga has reinforced the belief, in Yeovil and beyond, that no Government or politician can change. Can the Prime Minister explain to my constituents why he ignored the then Cabinet Secretary’s advice to get security clearance for Mandelson before he confirmed Mandelson as ambassador?