Asked by: Callum Anderson (Labour - Buckingham and Bletchley)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps his Department is taking to provide development support for co-operative businesses located in (i) Milton Keynes and (ii) Buckinghamshire.
Answered by Blair McDougall - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Government is committed to supporting diverse business models and doubling the size of the co-operative and mutual sector. We have received strong engagement from the sector through our Call for Evidence and are now analysing responses to shape future business support, including what can be achieved within existing support services such as the Business Growth Service and Growth Hubs.
Cooperatives play a vital role in Buckinghamshire’s agricultural sector and Government is developing the new Farmer Collaboration Fund to unlock the broader benefits of this sort of collaboration.
Asked by: Callum Anderson (Labour - Buckingham and Bletchley)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of electricity cost reductions on the competitiveness of manufacturers located in the Buckingham and Bletchley constituency.
Answered by Chris McDonald - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The British Industry Supercharger is already supporting the competitiveness of around 550 of the most electricity and trade-intensive firms across Great Britain, including in Buckingham and Bletchley, by reducing electricity costs by on average approximately £65 – £87 per megawatt hour.
From 2027 the British Industrial Competitiveness Scheme will reduce electricity costs by up to £40 per megawatt hour for over 10,000 eligible manufacturing businesses. This will help bring electricity costs more in line with other European economies and help support investment and economic growth across Great Britain including in Buckingham and Bletchley.
Asked by: Callum Anderson (Labour - Buckingham and Bletchley)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment he has made of the implications of UK-Spain economic co-operation for small and medium-sized enterprises.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
Asked by: Callum Anderson (Labour - Buckingham and Bletchley)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of increases in UK-Spain co-operation on levels of inward private sector investment into (i) Milton Keynes and (ii) Buckinghamshire.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
Asked by: Callum Anderson (Labour - Buckingham and Bletchley)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, how many UK businesses have participated in Ukraine trade support programmes.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
Under the UK-Ukraine 100 Year Partnership, the Department for Business and Trade has provided trade support to hundreds of UK businesses in Ukraine through:
Asked by: Callum Anderson (Labour - Buckingham and Bletchley)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment he has made of the impact of current manufacturing investment incentives on national manufacturing output.
Answered by Blair McDougall - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
Effective monitoring and evaluation is integral to assessing manufacturing policy. Current investment incentives are tracked through operational metrics and economic indicators including business investment, productivity, exports, GVA, labour market outcomes and growth of large UK firms.
Recent impact reports show that major programmes are delivering strong returns; for example, the Advanced Propulsion Centre’s R&D programme generated £2.20 of additional private investment for every £1 of public funding. Together, these assessments help ensure that incentives support increased manufacturing capability and long term national output.
Delivery progress against new Industrial Strategy commitments, including for manufacturing, is captured in regular Quarterly Updates.
Asked by: Callum Anderson (Labour - Buckingham and Bletchley)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps his Department is taking to further support employee ownership in the Buckingham and Bletchley constituency.
Answered by Blair McDougall - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
Employee-owned businesses are a significant part of the UK economy, with 2,470 EOBs in the UK as of June 2025, employing over 335,000 people.
DBT, as part of the Autumn Budget announcements, launched a Call for Evidence on Business Support for Co-operatives and Mutuals, which closed on the 18th February. DBT is now analysing responses and these will inform any potential business support policies to support the growth of the sector.
The government is committed to supporting the growth of the mutuals sector in line with the manifesto commitment to double the size of the sector. To deliver this, the Chancellor announced a multi-year programme of measures at Mansion House 2024 which government is now delivering.
Asked by: Callum Anderson (Labour - Buckingham and Bletchley)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what progress his Department has made on improving the rights of self-employed workers.
Answered by Kate Dearden - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The government is enhancing rights and protections for the self-employed in several ways. Measures announced in September 2024 will tackle late payment and long payment terms, including requiring large companies to report on payment performance and the introduction of a Fair Payment Code.
We also plan further consultations, including on extension of health and safety and blacklisting protections, a new right to a written statement for the self-employed, and the extension of measures which void Non-Disclosure Agreements in cases of relevant harassment and discrimination. Furthermore, our review of parental leave and pay will consider the needs of self-employed parents.
Asked by: Callum Anderson (Labour - Buckingham and Bletchley)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of proposals put forward by the European Commission to restrict exports of UK steel on the steel industry.
Answered by Chris McDonald - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Steel is a priority for this Government. We are committed to defending our critical steel industry, protecting skilled jobs and supporting economic growth.
The Government is assessing the potential impact of the European Commission’s proposal and is engaging extensively with them to ensure the best possible outcome for UK producers and the wider steel supply chain. We expect the EU to fulfil its obligations under the TCA.
We will set out a long-term vision for the steel sector in our forthcoming Steel Strategy, including support provided to domestic producers to remain competitive in a challenging global market.
Asked by: Callum Anderson (Labour - Buckingham and Bletchley)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of updating public procurement policy to (a) incentivise and (b) mandate greater use of UK made steel in publicly funded projects.
Answered by Chris McDonald - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Government wants to see more use of UK‑made steel in publicly funded projects, whilst respecting our national and international legal obligations. The latest steel public procurement data shows that in the financial year 2024–25, where all the steel required could be produced in the UK, 95% of the steel procured by central government buyers was UK‑produced.
That said, we continue to strengthen mechanisms to enable the public procurement of UK‑made steel. Updated steel procurement guidance (Public Procurement Policy Notice 022), introduced in June 2025, requires in‑scope organisations to consult UK Steel’s digital catalogue for all new relevant steel procurements before making decisions, and encourages them to consider whether the national security exemption under the Procurement Act applies.