Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what criteria are used by his Department to determine which public systems require mandatory zero-trust security measures.

Answered by Dan Jarvis - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)

The Department applies a risk-based assessment framework, underpinned by secure by design methodology including structured threat modelling, to determine which public systems require mandatory zero-trust security measures. Systems handling sensitive data, supporting critical services, or presenting elevated threat exposure are prioritised. This approach ensures that zero-trust controls are applied proportionately, focusing effort on the environments with the highest risk profile.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps her Department takes to record UK public sector participation in EU-linked research consortia.

Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

Information on European Commission-led programmes, such as Horizon Europe, is collected by the Commission. This data is publicly available and includes details on successful consortia, including UK public sector organisations. It can be found in the R&I Projects section of the Funding and Tenders Portal under the Key Figures page using the relevant filters: R&I Proposals - Summary | Sheet - Qlik Sense. DSIT uses this and other relevant sources to assess UK participation and measures to keep improving this.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment she has made of the staffing requirements needed to support expanded UK engagement in Indo-Pacific economic initiatives.

Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

Building strong relationships in the Indo-Pacific is crucial to the UK's long-term economic growth. The global economic centre of gravity is already shifting - by 2050 the Indo-Pacific region will generate over half of global growth.

The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office continues to work closely with the Department for Business and Trade, and other colleagues, to ensure that our work in the Indo-Pacific supports the delivery of the UK's Industrial and Trade Strategies, including securing the UK-India Free Trade Agreement and finalising UK accession to the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership. UK Diplomatic Posts in the Indo-Pacific incorporate relevant regional strategic priorities into their country plans, and all Posts provide twice-yearly updates against the objectives set out in those plans.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what mechanisms she uses to evaluate the performance of UK posts in delivering Indo-Pacific strategic priorities.

Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

Building strong relationships in the Indo-Pacific is crucial to the UK's long-term economic growth. The global economic centre of gravity is already shifting - by 2050 the Indo-Pacific region will generate over half of global growth.

The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office continues to work closely with the Department for Business and Trade, and other colleagues, to ensure that our work in the Indo-Pacific supports the delivery of the UK's Industrial and Trade Strategies, including securing the UK-India Free Trade Agreement and finalising UK accession to the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership. UK Diplomatic Posts in the Indo-Pacific incorporate relevant regional strategic priorities into their country plans, and all Posts provide twice-yearly updates against the objectives set out in those plans.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that UK Indo-Pacific policy is aligned with domestic trade and investment objectives.

Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

Building strong relationships in the Indo-Pacific is crucial to the UK's long-term economic growth. The global economic centre of gravity is already shifting - by 2050 the Indo-Pacific region will generate over half of global growth.

The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office continues to work closely with the Department for Business and Trade, and other colleagues, to ensure that our work in the Indo-Pacific supports the delivery of the UK's Industrial and Trade Strategies, including securing the UK-India Free Trade Agreement and finalising UK accession to the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership. UK Diplomatic Posts in the Indo-Pacific incorporate relevant regional strategic priorities into their country plans, and all Posts provide twice-yearly updates against the objectives set out in those plans.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions she has had with the Department for Business and Trade on resourcing UK participation in Indo-Pacific market-access programmes.

Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

Building strong relationships in the Indo-Pacific is crucial to the UK's long-term economic growth. The global economic centre of gravity is already shifting - by 2050 the Indo-Pacific region will generate over half of global growth.

The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office continues to work closely with the Department for Business and Trade, and other colleagues, to ensure that our work in the Indo-Pacific supports the delivery of the UK's Industrial and Trade Strategies, including securing the UK-India Free Trade Agreement and finalising UK accession to the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership. UK Diplomatic Posts in the Indo-Pacific incorporate relevant regional strategic priorities into their country plans, and all Posts provide twice-yearly updates against the objectives set out in those plans.

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 ensure the national HIV surveillance system remains compatible with international reporting standards.

Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) and its predecessors have led HIV surveillance since the beginning of the epidemic in the early 1980s. In addition to continued collaboration and acting as expert advisors on HIV surveillance to the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) and the World Health Organisation (WHO) European region, the UKHSA ensures that its data remains compatible by reporting standard data to ECDC/WHO European region and the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS on an annual basis.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate he has made of the laboratory capacity required to meet anticipated levels of HIV screening during the HIV Action Plan for England 2025–2030 period.

Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

As part of the new HIV Action Plan, we will continue the success of the blood-borne virus emergency department opt-out testing programme, investing £156 million from April 2026 to March 2029 to deliver opt-out HIV, Hepatitis B, and Hepatitis C testing in emergency departments in very high and high HIV prevalence areas.

We will also expand digital provision of HIV testing, investing £5 million in 2025/26 to trial HIV testing through the NHS App, working in partnership with existing commissioned sexual health providers, such as those already used by local authorities, rather than building a new service from scratch. These services have a strong track record in at-home HIV testing, and the NHS App will provide a new entry point that routes people into that established service.

National Health Service trusts are responsible for ensuring laboratories have adequate capacity for all testing, including HIV screening.

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 ensure that clinical commissioning structures are prepared for changes arising from the HIV Action Plan.

Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The new HIV Action Plan (HIV AP), published on 1 December 2025, sets out how the Government will enable every level of the healthcare system to work together to engage everyone in prevention, testing and treatment, tackling stigma, and reaching our ambition to end new HIV transmissions by 2030.

National Health Service integrated care boards hold commissioning responsibility for adult HIV services in line with the relevant NHS England service specification. NHS England is supportive of the HIV AP and its recommendations and is committed to the implementation and delivery of the plan.

The HIV AP asks local partners across the NHS and local authorities to carry out a HIV needs assessment which will inform the development and publication of local HIV plans across the country during 2026/27.

Local areas will monitor uptake and outcomes to identify gaps and improve equity in access to HIV prevention, testing, and treatment. The UK Health Security Agency will continue to support this with robust data monitoring and reporting.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans he has to review guidance for local authorities on HIV support service commissioning.

Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The new HIV Action Plan, published on 1 December 2025, sets out how the Government will enable every level of the healthcare system to work together to engage everyone in prevention, testing and treatment, tackling stigma, and reaching our ambition to end new HIV transmissions by 2030. Services to support people living with HIV are primarily the responsibility of National Health Service integrated care boards, who commission adult HIV care in line with the relevant NHS England service specification. Providers of HIV care are responsible for collaborating with local authority commissioned social care where needed.

The HIV Action Plan also asks local partners across the NHS and local authorities to carry out a HIV needs assessment which will inform the development and publication of local HIV plans across the country during 2026/27. Local areas will monitor uptake and outcomes to identify gaps and improve equity in access to HIV prevention, testing, and treatment. The UK Health Security Agency will continue to support this with robust data monitoring and reporting.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of limiting interest-earning reserves on the commercial viability of pound-backed stablecoins.

Answered by Lucy Rigby - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)

The government is committed to making the UK a global hub for digital assets. It recognises the huge potential posed by tokenised asset innovation, and for stablecoins to support innovation in both retail payments and wholesale settlement.

That is why the government is bringing in legislation to establish a new financial services regulatory regime for cryptoassets, including stablecoin, and maintaining a close and ongoing dialogue with the financial regulators as they develop detailed rules and guidance.

This legislation complements other measures being taken forward by the government on digital assets, including: the Digital Securities Sandbox, which supports settlement using distributed ledger technology; the Digital Gilt Instrument pilot issuance; and the publication of the Wholesale Financial Markets Digital Strategy.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the regulatory approach on investor adoption of pound sterling based stablecoins.

Answered by Lucy Rigby - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)

The government is committed to making the UK a global hub for digital assets. It recognises the huge potential posed by tokenised asset innovation, and for stablecoins to support innovation in both retail payments and wholesale settlement.

That is why the government is bringing in legislation to establish a new financial services regulatory regime for cryptoassets, including stablecoin, and maintaining a close and ongoing dialogue with the financial regulators as they develop detailed rules and guidance.

This legislation complements other measures being taken forward by the government on digital assets, including: the Digital Securities Sandbox, which supports settlement using distributed ledger technology; the Digital Gilt Instrument pilot issuance; and the publication of the Wholesale Financial Markets Digital Strategy.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what discussions she has had with regulators on permitting multi-jurisdiction reserve models for pound sterling stablecoin issuance.

Answered by Lucy Rigby - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)

The government is committed to making the UK a global hub for digital assets. It recognises the huge potential posed by tokenised asset innovation, and for stablecoins to support innovation in both retail payments and wholesale settlement.

That is why the government is bringing in legislation to establish a new financial services regulatory regime for cryptoassets, including stablecoin, and maintaining a close and ongoing dialogue with the financial regulators as they develop detailed rules and guidance.

This legislation complements other measures being taken forward by the government on digital assets, including: the Digital Securities Sandbox, which supports settlement using distributed ledger technology; the Digital Gilt Instrument pilot issuance; and the publication of the Wholesale Financial Markets Digital Strategy.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of restricting stablecoin use in wholesale markets on the development of tokenised settlement systems.

Answered by Lucy Rigby - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)

The government is committed to making the UK a global hub for digital assets. It recognises the huge potential posed by tokenised asset innovation, and for stablecoins to support innovation in both retail payments and wholesale settlement.

That is why the government is bringing in legislation to establish a new financial services regulatory regime for cryptoassets, including stablecoin, and maintaining a close and ongoing dialogue with the financial regulators as they develop detailed rules and guidance.

This legislation complements other measures being taken forward by the government on digital assets, including: the Digital Securities Sandbox, which supports settlement using distributed ledger technology; the Digital Gilt Instrument pilot issuance; and the publication of the Wholesale Financial Markets Digital Strategy.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps is taking to support UK participation in digital settlement markets.

Answered by Lucy Rigby - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)

The government is committed to making the UK a global hub for digital assets. It recognises the huge potential posed by tokenised asset innovation, and for stablecoins to support innovation in both retail payments and wholesale settlement.

That is why the government is bringing in legislation to establish a new financial services regulatory regime for cryptoassets, including stablecoin, and maintaining a close and ongoing dialogue with the financial regulators as they develop detailed rules and guidance.

This legislation complements other measures being taken forward by the government on digital assets, including: the Digital Securities Sandbox, which supports settlement using distributed ledger technology; the Digital Gilt Instrument pilot issuance; and the publication of the Wholesale Financial Markets Digital Strategy.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate his Department has made of the number of local voluntary sector organisations in Buckingham and Bletchley constituency expected to deliver services linked to the Child Poverty Strategy.

Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

We are strengthening our partnership with the voluntary, community and social enterprise sector (VCSE) with our Civil Society Covenant. We recognise that the VCSE sector has a strong record of supporting families and is the bedrock of our communities.

We are putting tackling child poverty at the heart of local government by including child poverty in the new Outcomes Framework for local government as a contextual outcome. The Framework also includes wider priority outcomes that will help tackle child poverty such as preventing and reducing homelessness and rough sleeping; access to a decent, safe and affordable home; local growth; and promoting health and wellbeing in children.

Alongside the Strategy, we have set out our initial plans for monitoring and evaluation to ensure our strategy is on track to tackle child poverty as part of our ongoing commitment to transparency, accountability, and continued learning.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what plans his Department has to issue guidance to councils covering Buckingham and Bletchley constituency on monitoring local outcomes of the Child Poverty Strategy.

Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

We are strengthening our partnership with the voluntary, community and social enterprise sector (VCSE) with our Civil Society Covenant. We recognise that the VCSE sector has a strong record of supporting families and is the bedrock of our communities.

We are putting tackling child poverty at the heart of local government by including child poverty in the new Outcomes Framework for local government as a contextual outcome. The Framework also includes wider priority outcomes that will help tackle child poverty such as preventing and reducing homelessness and rough sleeping; access to a decent, safe and affordable home; local growth; and promoting health and wellbeing in children.

Alongside the Strategy, we have set out our initial plans for monitoring and evaluation to ensure our strategy is on track to tackle child poverty as part of our ongoing commitment to transparency, accountability, and continued learning.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate his Department has made of the projected number of children in the Buckingham and Bletchley constituency who will become newly eligible for support measures introduced under the Child Poverty Strategy.

Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

The Department does not have an estimate of the projected number of children in the Buckingham and Bletchley constituency who will become newly eligible for support measures introduced under the Child Poverty Strategy or hold data on the proportion of low-income households in the Buckingham and Bletchley constituency expected to benefit from changes to income-related thresholds outlined in the Child Poverty Strategy. Estimates are available for the number of children and households that are expected to gain from the removal of two-child limit at constituency level here Poverty impacts of social security changes at Budget 2025 - GOV.UK.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what data his Department holds on the proportion of low-income households in the Buckingham and Bletchley constituency expected to benefit from changes to income-related thresholds outlined in the Child Poverty Strategy.

Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

The Department does not have an estimate of the projected number of children in the Buckingham and Bletchley constituency who will become newly eligible for support measures introduced under the Child Poverty Strategy or hold data on the proportion of low-income households in the Buckingham and Bletchley constituency expected to benefit from changes to income-related thresholds outlined in the Child Poverty Strategy. Estimates are available for the number of children and households that are expected to gain from the removal of two-child limit at constituency level here Poverty impacts of social security changes at Budget 2025 - GOV.UK.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether the Department has formal requirements for suppliers receiving support to report on waste-reduction outcomes.

Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

We are responding on the basis that this question relates to reporting under the Packaging Extended Producer Responsibility (pEPR) scheme and the Packaging Waste Recycling Note (PRN) system for domestic waste, and specifically on the support that obligated producers may receive in meeting the reporting requirements under these regulations.

Under the pEPR regulations, producers are required to report detailed data on the packaging they place on the UK market, including material types and tonnages. This reporting underpins the calculation of fees and recycling obligations (PRNs) and ensures that costs for household packaging waste management are recovered in line with the polluter pays principle. These obligations are designed to incentivise waste reduction by linking fees to recyclability and packaging weight, with modulation of fees from 2026 to further encourage sustainable packaging choices.

Similarly, the PRN system requires accredited reprocessors and exporters to issue evidence notes for packaging waste that has been recycled. These notes form part of the compliance mechanism for meeting recycling targets and provide transparency on the amount of packaging waste recovered and recycled within the UK.

Under the regulations, obligated producers may receive support from compliance schemes in meeting their reporting obligations and recycling targets. Regulation 43 of the Producer Responsibility Obligations (Packaging and Packaging Waste) Regulations 2024 specifies the obligations of compliance schemes, and Schedule 6 outlines the approvals framework ensuring schemes are able to provide guidance and assistance to producers. This ensures producers have access to help in fulfilling their legal responsibilities effectively.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment his Department has made of energy-related cost pressures on low-income households in Buckingham and Bletchley constituency referenced in the Child Poverty Strategy.

Answered by Martin McCluskey - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

Thanks to decisions in the Government's Autumn Budget, and as set out in the Child Poverty Strategy, the Government will deliver an average £150 of costs off household energy bills from April 2026. As a result of this action, people in Buckingham and Bletchley can expect to make a significant saving on their bills.

In addition, in 2024-2025, 3,489 households (7.8%) in Buckingham and Bletchley benefited from the Warm Home Discount - a £150 discount on their energy bill. This winter, we are expanding this discount so that around 6 million low-income households will receive this support, including an approximate additional 350,000 households in the South East region.

We will also be publishing a new fuel poverty strategy for England to ensure that many more fuel poor households are protected by 2030, in parallel to the Warm Homes Plan.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether he has issued guidance on the processes for identifying firms in the Buckingham and Bletchley constituency eligible for scale-up support.

Answered by Blair McDougall - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)

As announced in the Industrial Strategy and Plan for SMEs, DBT is developing a new scale-up offer to help firms with high growth potential start, scale and stay in the UK. I am aware of the work my Honourable Friend is doing to drive investment into Bletchley and the businesses in his constituency through the Bletchley Investment Taskforce. I hope working together, in partnership with the Buckinghamshire Business First and South Midlands Growth Hubs, we can do more to support economically important scale-ups in his constituency and across the UK.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what estimate he has made of the number of small businesses in Buckingham and Bletchley constituency that will be eligible for the new cost-reduction support programmes announced in 2025 following the Willow Review.

Answered by Blair McDougall - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)

The Government is committed to supporting businesses of all sizes in the transition to net zero. We are helping SMEs countrywide access sustainability benefits through initiatives such as the new Business Growth Service, the UK Business Climate Hub (UKBCH) for decarbonisation advice, and the rollout of smart meters. Additionally, the Made Smarter Adoption programme for manufacturing SMEs in the South East will double its budget from April to £3.1m, boosting productivity through digital adoption-focused skills and grants.

Following the Willow Review, £200,000 has been allocated to enhance UKBCH and integrate it with the Business Growth Service. The network of local Growth Hubs, including Buckinghamshire Business First, offer tailored support at any stage of a business's journey and can signpost to these new and improved offers.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether his Department plans to establish metrics to monitor the effectiveness of the Government’s scale-up interventions.

Answered by Blair McDougall - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)

Monitoring and evaluation are an important way of identifying lessons that can be learnt to improve both the design and delivery of future interventions. Consistent with HMT guidance, we will establish metrics and proportionate monitoring and evaluation provisions for DBT’s scale-up interventions.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what mechanisms her Department plans to establish to co-ordinate Illicit Finance Summit outcomes with domestic enforcement agencies.

Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The Foreign Secretary has announced plans to host a major Illicit Finance Summit on 23-24 June next year, which will bring together governments, civil society organisations, and private sector representatives to build an international coalition to tackle flows of dirty money around the world and strengthen the UK's national security. All further details such as the frameworks for monitoring commitments made at this summit, and coordination with domestic agencies on implementing the outcomes, will be set out in the usual way in due course.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether her Department intends to publish a framework for monitoring international commitments made at the Illicit Finance Summit.

Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The Foreign Secretary has announced plans to host a major Illicit Finance Summit on 23-24 June next year, which will bring together governments, civil society organisations, and private sector representatives to build an international coalition to tackle flows of dirty money around the world and strengthen the UK's national security. All further details such as the frameworks for monitoring commitments made at this summit, and coordination with domestic agencies on implementing the outcomes, will be set out in the usual way in due course.

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of tourism’s contribution to Buckinghamshire's rural economy.

Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)

DCMS recognises the vital contribution of tourism to rural economies across England, including in Buckinghamshire, home to historic and cultural attractions including Bletchley Park and Waddesdon Manor as well as family attractions such as Bekonscot Model Village & Railway.

The British Tourist Authority, which is an arms-length body of DCMS, provides research and insights on domestic and inbound tourism in the UK. Their data reveals that for inbound travel, Buckinghamshire welcomed 305.6K visitors and a spend of £140.2 million in 2024. For domestic visits, Buckinghamshire welcomed 1.2 million trips and a spend of £191 million in the 24 months up to September 2024.

DCMS also works with the British Tourist Authority to champion visits to the British countryside to a worldwide audience with the aim of ensuring that the economic benefits of tourism are felt by all regions and nations.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what data his Department holds on the expected uptake of family financial resilience programmes in Buckingham and Bletchley constituency under the Child Poverty Strategy.

Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

We do not hold data on the expected uptake of family financial resilience programmes, and have not made any assessment of the number of children in households newly eligible for debt-prevention or money-management support in Buckingham and Bletchley constituency under the Child Poverty Strategy.

The Strategy recognises the important role that financial resilience must play in supporting families in poverty. The new £1 billion (including Barnett consequential) Crisis and Resilience Fund, launching in April 2026, will invest in local financial resilience to enable communities to better deal with crises in the long-term, reducing dependence and repeat need.

Alongside this, the government is boosting financial resilience through helping low-income families to save, increasing debt advice provision and providing financial education and money management tools. The Government’s Financial Inclusion Strategy, published on 5 November 2025, brings together the foundations of financial resilience in support of the Child Poverty Strategy.

Alongside the Child Poverty Strategy, we have set out our initial plans for monitoring and evaluation to ensure our strategy is on track to tackle child poverty. We will work with departments and policy owners to complement existing monitoring and evaluation plans, and support them to further assess the delivery and impact of their policies on child poverty, particularly for policies where it is important to capture wider benefits. Further details on our approach to monitoring and evaluation will follow in a baseline report in Summer 2026.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate his Department has made of the number of children in Buckingham and Bletchley constituency in households newly eligible for debt-prevention or money-management support under the Child Poverty Strategy.

Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

We do not hold data on the expected uptake of family financial resilience programmes, and have not made any assessment of the number of children in households newly eligible for debt-prevention or money-management support in Buckingham and Bletchley constituency under the Child Poverty Strategy.

The Strategy recognises the important role that financial resilience must play in supporting families in poverty. The new £1 billion (including Barnett consequential) Crisis and Resilience Fund, launching in April 2026, will invest in local financial resilience to enable communities to better deal with crises in the long-term, reducing dependence and repeat need.

Alongside this, the government is boosting financial resilience through helping low-income families to save, increasing debt advice provision and providing financial education and money management tools. The Government’s Financial Inclusion Strategy, published on 5 November 2025, brings together the foundations of financial resilience in support of the Child Poverty Strategy.

Alongside the Child Poverty Strategy, we have set out our initial plans for monitoring and evaluation to ensure our strategy is on track to tackle child poverty. We will work with departments and policy owners to complement existing monitoring and evaluation plans, and support them to further assess the delivery and impact of their policies on child poverty, particularly for policies where it is important to capture wider benefits. Further details on our approach to monitoring and evaluation will follow in a baseline report in Summer 2026.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what plans his Department has to publish annual constituency-level child poverty indicators in relation to the Child Poverty Strategy.

Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

Details of new statistics currently under development are also set out in the DWP Statistical Work Programme, available at: Statistical work programme - GOV.UK. This includes proposals for a new measure of low income for families in receipt of Universal Credit (UC) and new local area Official Statistics on children in low-income families on an after housing costs (AHC) basis, which will provide additional local area level insights.

The Monitoring and Evaluation Framework, published alongside the Strategy, sets out how we will track progress and evaluate success as part of our ongoing commitment to transparency, accountability and continued learning. We will use two complementary headline metrics, relative poverty (after housing costs) and deep material poverty, as well as a comprehensive programme of analysis focussing on the drivers of child poverty and the impact of specific interventions. We will publish a baseline report next summer with further details, which will set out the latest statistics and identify what further indicators and wider evidence will be used to monitor and evaluate the Child Poverty Strategy at both a national and local level.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what criteria her Department plans to use to evaluate bids for funding under forthcoming peacebuilding programmes for Israel and Palestine.

Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The UK has announced plans to host a key peacebuilding conference on 12 March next year, which will bring together international experts and civil society organisations from the Middle East, to map existing peace-building work and support the establishment of an International Peace Fund for Israel and Palestine. All further details such as the staffing of this work, international partners attending the conference, and the evaluation of funding bids, will be set out in the usual way in due course.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what mechanisms her Department intends to use to co-ordinate planned UK peacebuilding activity with that of international partners.

Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The UK has announced plans to host a key peacebuilding conference on 12 March next year, which will bring together international experts and civil society organisations from the Middle East, to map existing peace-building work and support the establishment of an International Peace Fund for Israel and Palestine. All further details such as the staffing of this work, international partners attending the conference, and the evaluation of funding bids, will be set out in the usual way in due course.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what estimate her Department has made of the staffing resource required to administer new peacebuilding schemes.

Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The UK has announced plans to host a key peacebuilding conference on 12 March next year, which will bring together international experts and civil society organisations from the Middle East, to map existing peace-building work and support the establishment of an International Peace Fund for Israel and Palestine. All further details such as the staffing of this work, international partners attending the conference, and the evaluation of funding bids, will be set out in the usual way in due course.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what estimate he has made of the number of UK business sectors that will fall within scope of the market-access discussions with Turkey.

Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)

It is too soon to presume on the final outcomes of FTA negotiations with Turkey, but we have held three successful rounds of negotiations to date.

We already have a goods focussed FTA with Turkey, providing tariff-free access on industrial goods. Both countries are now working towards ambitious outcomes across trade in services and digital trade, areas not covered by the existing agreement. We will continue to work with our independent regulators on any decisions relating to cooperation with Turkey.

Our prioritisation decisions will align with our Industrial Strategy - including its eight sectors of focus - and Trade Strategy and will be informed by the latest economic data, with the aim of fulfilling our mission of securing the highest sustained growth in the G7.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what processes his Department uses to determine which UK industries will be prioritised during negotiations for an enhanced free trade agreement with Turkey.

Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)

It is too soon to presume on the final outcomes of FTA negotiations with Turkey, but we have held three successful rounds of negotiations to date.

We already have a goods focussed FTA with Turkey, providing tariff-free access on industrial goods. Both countries are now working towards ambitious outcomes across trade in services and digital trade, areas not covered by the existing agreement. We will continue to work with our independent regulators on any decisions relating to cooperation with Turkey.

Our prioritisation decisions will align with our Industrial Strategy - including its eight sectors of focus - and Trade Strategy and will be informed by the latest economic data, with the aim of fulfilling our mission of securing the highest sustained growth in the G7.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether he has set any departmental benchmarks for the data required to support decisions on regulatory co-operation with Turkey under a future agreement.

Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)

It is too soon to presume on the final outcomes of FTA negotiations with Turkey, but we have held three successful rounds of negotiations to date.

We already have a goods focussed FTA with Turkey, providing tariff-free access on industrial goods. Both countries are now working towards ambitious outcomes across trade in services and digital trade, areas not covered by the existing agreement. We will continue to work with our independent regulators on any decisions relating to cooperation with Turkey.

Our prioritisation decisions will align with our Industrial Strategy - including its eight sectors of focus - and Trade Strategy and will be informed by the latest economic data, with the aim of fulfilling our mission of securing the highest sustained growth in the G7.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what estimate he has made of the number of UK businesses in the Buckingham and Bletchley constituency that have participated in trade remedy investigations in each of the last three years.

Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)

According to the records available, no producers have registered with the Trade Remedies Authority (TRA) to an investigation using a contact address within the Buckingham and Bletchley constituency, between 01/01/2023 and 13/12/2025. Other interested parties do not routinely provide the TRA with an address.

Due to commercial sensitivities, I am unable to comment on engagement with businesses which may inform decisions on whether to open a case.

If any businesses in your constituency have concerns about unfair trading practices, I would encourage them to contact the TRA at contact@traderemedies.gov.uk.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the data-gathering requirements needed to support future green bond issuances.

Answered by Lucy Rigby - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)

In 2024-25, the government raised £10.0 billion through green gilts and green savings bonds. The government plans to issue a total of £10.0 billion of green finance in 2025-26, subject to demand and market conditions. The amount of Green Financing to be issued in each financial year will be announced by HM Treasury as part of the annual government financing remit.

The Green Financing Framework, published in 2021 and updated in 2025, explains how proceeds from green gilts and NS&I’s retail Green Savings Bonds will finance public expenditures that demonstrate a direct and positive environmental impact.

The Framework includes guidelines on the types of expenditures that can be included in the Programme and commits the government to annual allocation reporting. Eligible expenditures are drawn from departments’ confirmed Spending Review settlements and assessed on the basis of their contribution to the government’s climate and environmental objectives. Details of the allocation of expenditure are normally published each year in the Green Financing Allocation Report, most recently published in October2024.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what processes HM Treasury uses to co-ordinate Green Financing Framework reporting with other government departments.

Answered by Lucy Rigby - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)

In 2024-25, the government raised £10.0 billion through green gilts and green savings bonds. The government plans to issue a total of £10.0 billion of green finance in 2025-26, subject to demand and market conditions. The amount of Green Financing to be issued in each financial year will be announced by HM Treasury as part of the annual government financing remit.

The Green Financing Framework, published in 2021 and updated in 2025, explains how proceeds from green gilts and NS&I’s retail Green Savings Bonds will finance public expenditures that demonstrate a direct and positive environmental impact.

The Framework includes guidelines on the types of expenditures that can be included in the Programme and commits the government to annual allocation reporting. Eligible expenditures are drawn from departments’ confirmed Spending Review settlements and assessed on the basis of their contribution to the government’s climate and environmental objectives. Details of the allocation of expenditure are normally published each year in the Green Financing Allocation Report, most recently published in October2024.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate she has made of the proportion of future sovereign financing expected to be raised under the Green Financing Framework.

Answered by Lucy Rigby - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)

In 2024-25, the government raised £10.0 billion through green gilts and green savings bonds. The government plans to issue a total of £10.0 billion of green finance in 2025-26, subject to demand and market conditions. The amount of Green Financing to be issued in each financial year will be announced by HM Treasury as part of the annual government financing remit.

The Green Financing Framework, published in 2021 and updated in 2025, explains how proceeds from green gilts and NS&I’s retail Green Savings Bonds will finance public expenditures that demonstrate a direct and positive environmental impact.

The Framework includes guidelines on the types of expenditures that can be included in the Programme and commits the government to annual allocation reporting. Eligible expenditures are drawn from departments’ confirmed Spending Review settlements and assessed on the basis of their contribution to the government’s climate and environmental objectives. Details of the allocation of expenditure are normally published each year in the Green Financing Allocation Report, most recently published in October2024.

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