Sarah Dyke MP: written questions 2025
79 published records · newest first.
Written questions
Youth Centres: SomersetDepartment for Culture, Media and SportTabled 4 Sept 2025AnsweredUIN 75293More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps she is taking to increase the number of youth clubs in Somerset.
Answer: This Government fully recognises the importance of youth services to help young people live safe and healthy lives, and we are committed to giving all young people the chance to reach their full potential. We are co-producing a new National Youth Strategy...
Answered 10 Sept 2025
Original Parliament recordAgricultural Machinery: Trade PromotionDepartment for Business and TradeTabled 3 Sept 2025AnsweredUIN 74861More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment his Department has made of the (a) export opportunities and (b) support needs for (i) manufacturers and (ii) suppliers of (A) machinery and (B) technology used by the (1) agricultural a
Answer: The agri-tech sector, covering agricultural machinery and technology, was identified in the Industrial Strategy as a high-growth area with strong export potential. The sector is expected to grow with global demand increasing for technologies to support ec...
Answered 12 Sept 2025
Original Parliament recordTrade PromotionDepartment for Business and TradeTabled 3 Sept 2025AnsweredUIN 74858More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of (a) introducing targeted support for small and medium-sized enterprises exhibiting at sector-relevant international trade shows and (b) esta
Answer: Though our Trade Strategy, Industrial Strategy, and Small Business Plan, we are putting in place the policies, support, and services needed to drive export-led growth. For the first time, DBT has integrated its support for SMEs across all sectors in a sin...
Answered 12 Sept 2025
Original Parliament recordBusiness: Rural AreasDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 3 Sept 2025AnsweredUIN 74855More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the trends in the number of business closures in rural areas.
Answer: Defra publishes the Statistical Digest for Rural England to provide up-to-date analysis across a wide range of subjects including information on business survival and growth. Business deaths per head of population are lower in rural Areas. In 2023, there ...
Answered 19 Sept 2025
Original Parliament recordTravellers: Caravan SitesMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 3 Sept 2025AnsweredUIN 74781More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether Gypsy and Traveller sites will be included in the next round of Social and Affordable Homes Programme funding.
Answer: Traveller sites fall within the scope of the new Social and Affordable Homes Programme, and we welcome bids to deliver new sites. It is our intention to publish a full prospectus for the Programme in autumn 2025 and open it for bids in the winter.
Answered 15 Sept 2025
Original Parliament recordCountryside Stewardship SchemeDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 2 Sept 2025AnsweredUIN 74289More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of no rollover option being in place for the Countryside Stewardship scheme on (a) farmers and (b) 2030 nature recovery targets.
Answer: The Government has allocated a record £11.8 billion to sustainable farming and food production over this parliament. This includes increasing spend on Environmental Land Management schemes to £2bn by 28/29. Customers with Countryside Stewardship Higher-Ti...
Answered 19 Sept 2025
Original Parliament recordAgricultural MachineryDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 29 Aug 2025AnsweredUIN 71515More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he plans to add (a) bale breakers, (b) handheld (i) pH and (ii) EC meters, (c) in situ soil sensors, (d) wireless data loggers and (e) fogging units for in-house propagation wi
Answer: The latest round of the Farming Equipment and Technology Fund closed for applications on 10/07/25. We are continuing to work to simplify and rationalise our grant funding from 2026 onwards following the Spending Review and ensuing business planning to ens...
Answered 3 Sept 2025
Original Parliament recordRecyclingDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 22 Jul 2025AnsweredUIN 69986More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent assessment his Department has made of the potential economic merits of implementing circular economy models.
Answer: This Government is committed to moving to a circular economy – a future where we keep our resources are in use for longer, waste is reduced, we accelerate the path to net zero, we stimulate innovation, create thousands of green jobs, and unlock economic o...
Answered 2 Sept 2025
Original Parliament recordRecyclingDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 22 Jul 2025AnsweredUIN 69985More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will establish a long-term resource use target through the circular economy strategy.
Answer: This Government is committed to moving to a circular economy – a future where we keep our resources in use for longer, waste is reduced, we accelerate the path to net zero. Moving away from the linear make, use and throw model is vital to meeting our Net ...
Answered 2 Sept 2025
Original Parliament recordRecyclingDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 22 Jul 2025AnsweredUIN 69984More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will take steps to support a consumer right to repair through the Circular Economy Strategy.
Answer: Defra recognises that repair and reuse are fundamental tenets of any circular economy, and a successful transition aims to eliminate waste and promote sustainability through reuse and resource efficiency. We will consider the evidence for appropriate acti...
Answered 3 Sept 2025
Original Parliament recordHospital Beds: SomersetDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 22 Jul 2025AnsweredUIN 69920More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many community hospital beds will be provided in each of the next five years in Somerset.
Answer: The number of community hospital beds operational varies over the course of the year in response to supply and demand. For example, fewer beds are needed during the summer.The Government expects neighbourhood services to be designed in a way that reflects...
Answered 19 Sept 2025
Original Parliament recordNHS Foundation TrustsDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 21 Jul 2025AnsweredUIN 69706More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the 10 Year Health Plan for England: fit for the future, published on 3 July 2025, what his planned timescale is for NHS Foundation Trusts to deliver additional services within co
Answer: As per the 10-Year Health Plan, for the very best National Health Service foundation trusts there will be a new opportunity to hold the whole health budget for a local population as an Integrated Health Organisation (IHO). The intention is to designate a ...
Answered 2 Sept 2025
Original Parliament recordSustainable Farming IncentiveDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 21 Jul 2025AnsweredUIN 69701More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether farmers in Higher Level Stewardship schemes will be able to apply for the new Sustainable Farming Incentive schemes.
Answer: Our approach to transitioning farmers from existing agreements into the new schemes is under review and the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) is currently closed for new applications. We will provide further details about the reformed SFI in summer 2025...
Answered 2 Sept 2025
Original Parliament recordHoney: LabellingDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 16 Jul 2025AnsweredUIN 68581More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will take steps to help tackle the mis-labelling of honey products.
Answer: The Government takes any type of food fraud very seriously, including honey mislabelling. It recognises the importance of protecting food standards and has set minimum quality standards for many foods, including honey. All honey on sale must comply with t...
Answered 22 Jul 2025
Original Parliament recordHoney: RegulationDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 16 Jul 2025AnsweredUIN 68580More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to Directive (EU) 2024/1438 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 14 May 2024 amending Council Directives 2001/110/EC relating to honey, what assessment he ha
Answer: Directive 2001/110/EC relating to honey was transposed in each of the four UK nations through the relevant domestic Honey Regulations. Directive (EU) 2024/1438 creates additional requirements relating to country of origin labelling for blended honey and e...
Answered 22 Jul 2025
Original Parliament recordHoney: RegulationDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 16 Jul 2025AnsweredUIN 68579More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to Directive (EU) 2024/1438 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 14 May 2024 amending Council Directives 2001/110/EC relating to honey, what discussions he h
Answer: Directive 2001/110/EC relating to honey was transposed in each of the four UK nations through the relevant domestic Honey Regulations. Directive (EU) 2024/1438 creates additional requirements relating to country of origin labelling for blended honey and e...
Answered 22 Jul 2025
Original Parliament recordAgricultural Machinery: Fire PreventionDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 16 Jul 2025AnsweredUIN 68524More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether the Farming Equipment and Technology Fund will support farm businesses implementing fire suppression measures on agricultural machinery.
Answer: Fire suppression equipment for agricultural machinery is not currently in scope of the Farming Equipment and Technology Fund. The Fund provides grants towards the costs of equipment to improve productivity, manage slurry and improve animal health and welf...
Answered 22 Jul 2025
Original Parliament recordAgricultural Machinery: Fire PreventionDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 16 Jul 2025AnsweredUIN 68523More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assistance his Department is providing to farming businesses wishing to implement fire suppression measures on agricultural machinery.
Answer: Fire suppression equipment for agricultural machinery is not currently in scope of the Farming Equipment and Technology Fund. The Fund provides grants towards the costs of equipment to improve productivity, manage slurry and improve animal health and welf...
Answered 22 Jul 2025
Original Parliament recordTowns FundMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 14 Jul 2025AnsweredUIN 67523More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether any Town Fund projects under the Town Deals programme have applied for an extension.
Answer: The 2024 October Budget announcement set out a 12-month extension to the original Town Deals deadline. All Town Deal monies must now be spent by March 2027. For a minority of projects delivery will continue after this point, for example where match fundin...
Answered 17 Jul 2025
Original Parliament recordLGBT+ People: Care HomesWomen and EqualitiesTabled 12 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 904713More
Question: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, if she will make an assessment with Cabinet colleagues of the potential merits of developing a strategy on supporting LGBTQ people in care.
Answer: We want everyone, including LGBT+ people, to have fair access to high quality care, which is respectful and inclusive.The government recently introduced a new qualification to improve our training offer to social care staff on being supportive and caring ...
Answered 18 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordFlood Control: SomersetDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 12 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 59460More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to paragraph 4.62 of HM Treasury's document entitled Spending Review 2025, published on 12 June 2025, what proportion of flood defence spending from 2026-27 to 2028-29 w
Answer: We’re investing £2.65 billion over two years to March 2026 to maintain, repair, and build flood defences. We’re committing a further £4.2 billion over three years from April 2026, an increase of 5% per year, as announced at Spending Review 2025. We’re con...
Answered 17 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordDevolutionMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 16 May 2025AnsweredUIN 52909More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps she is taking to deliver devolution to councils that are not part of the Devolution Priority Programme.
Answer: We want to see all of England access devolved powers by establishing Strategic Authorities that can make the key decisions to drive economic growth. Our ultimate goal is to have all of England represented by a mayor who can take their seat at the Council ...
Answered 21 May 2025
Original Parliament recordAnimal Products: ImportsDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 1 May 2025AnsweredUIN 49800More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to the European Commission's document entitled Vision for Agriculture and Food, published on 19 February 2025, if he will hold discussions with animal welfare organisati
Answer: This Government was elected on a mandate to introduce the most ambitious plans to improve animal welfare in a generation. The Department is engaging with key animal welfare stakeholders as part of the development of our overarching approach to animal welf...
Answered 12 May 2025
Original Parliament recordEggs: ImportsDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 1 May 2025AnsweredUIN 49799More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he has made a recent assessment of the potential merits of a sales ban on imported (a) eggs and (b) egg products produced on farms that use battery cages.
Answer: Ministers and officials meet regularly to address these important topics. The Government shares the public’s high regard for the UK’s environmental protections, food standards and animal welfare. We will promote robust standards nationally and internation...
Answered 12 May 2025
Original Parliament recordAnimal Products: ImportsDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 1 May 2025AnsweredUIN 49798More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Business and Trade to require the (a) import and (b) sale of (i) eggs, (ii) pork and (ii) fur to meet UK animal welfa
Answer: Ministers and officials meet regularly to address these important topics. The Government shares the public’s high regard for the UK’s environmental protections, food standards and animal welfare. We will promote robust standards nationally and internation...
Answered 12 May 2025
Original Parliament record
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