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 ensure that the delivery partners for the £500 million fund for underrepresented entrepreneurs have appropriate (a) governance and (b) accountability mechanisms in place.

Answered by Gareth Thomas - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)

The £500 million programme of investment for entrepreneurs from underrepresented groups is a new initiative by the British Business Bank which has not yet opened for applications. This includes a £400m Investor Pathways Capital initiative, an addition of £50m in the Invest in Women Taskforce and an addition of £50m in the female-led funds that are aligned with the eight growth-driving sectors of the Industrial Strategy.

All Bank programmes, delivery partners and Fund Managers are subject to robust standards of monitoring, reporting, and independent evaluation with oversight by the Bank's investment committee and DBT. Performance of delivery partners is monitored, and the distribution of finance is tracked, including by diversity characteristics such as sex and ethnicity and a programme of early assessments, interim and final evaluations.

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 effectiveness of the support delivered to underrepresented entrepreneurs through the £500 million investment programme.

Answered by Gareth Thomas - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)

The £500 million programme of investment for entrepreneurs from underrepresented groups is a new initiative by the British Business Bank which has not yet opened for applications. This includes a £400m Investor Pathways Capital initiative, an addition of £50m in the Invest in Women Taskforce and an addition of £50m in the female-led funds that are aligned with the eight growth-driving sectors of the Industrial Strategy.

All Bank programmes, delivery partners and Fund Managers are subject to robust standards of monitoring, reporting, and independent evaluation with oversight by the Bank's investment committee and DBT. Performance of delivery partners is monitored, and the distribution of finance is tracked, including by diversity characteristics such as sex and ethnicity and a programme of early assessments, interim and final evaluations.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps he is taking to ensure that funds directed to UK‑based suppliers under the national security initiative are (a) monitored and (b) reported.

Answered by Douglas Alexander - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)

Managing Public Money sets out expectations for all public services, including money spent procuring any goods and services. The standards are honesty, impartiality, openness, accountability, accuracy, fairness, integrity, transparency, objectivity, and reliability. All should be carried out in the spirit of, as well as to the letter of the law, in the public interest, to high ethical standards and achieving value for money.

It also sets out that there shall be adequate reporting arrangements to provide assurance to the board, the Accounting Officer and ultimately ministers about what is being achieved, to what standards and with what effect. Monitoring and evaluation are part of the development and planning of any intervention from the start. They are important to ensure successful implementation and the responsible, transparent management of public resources.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps he is taking to (a) review and (b) update the list of strategically important sectors eligible for preferential national security procurement over the next three years.

Answered by Douglas Alexander - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)

As stated in the public consultation document at the end of last month, the Government is considering plans that will allow Ministers to designate certain UK specific services, works or goods as nationally important to protecting UK national security - as part of our Plan for Change to secure Britain's future. The government is not inviting public consultation on this proposal but will engage with relevant national security stakeholders as necessary.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps he is taking to help ensure the fair regional distribution of funding from the £500 million support package for underrepresented entrepreneurs.

Answered by Gareth Thomas - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)

The new funding for entrepreneurs from underrepresented groups will be fairly distributed across the UK. Since the British Business Bank's founding, the Bank has backed businesses in all nations and regions of the UK, helping to deliver significant economic impacts.

The 10 Year Impact Report shows that 84% of the supported businesses have been based outside of London. The estimated GVA impact from the Bank's support reaches or exceeds £1bn in each and every nation and region. This is accompanied by tens of thousands of jobs being supported in each nation and region as well as boosting economically significant job creation.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that children’s home providers in (a) Milton Keynes and (b) Buckinghamshire meet national staff training requirements on trauma-informed care.

Answered by Janet Daby - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

The Children's Homes (England) Regulations 2015 and associated statutory guidance ‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations including the quality standards’, make it a requirement for children’s homes providers and managers of children’s homes to ensure staff have the necessary knowledge and skills to meet the needs of the children and provide high-quality care. This includes ensuring staff have or are working towards mandatory qualifications and have access to on-going professional development and training, including training on understanding and addressing trauma in children.

Ofsted inspects children’s homes on a regular basis, at least once a year, and reports on the effectiveness of leaders and managers in ensuring staff are qualified, have access to regular training and support, and are competent in their roles.

The government has committed to reviewing qualifications, standards and access to training for the children’s homes workforce, to ensure they are able to meet the needs of children in care.

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 the Taiwan offshore wind export credit agreement on the UK energy supply chain.

Answered by Gareth Thomas - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)

UK Export Finance (UKEF) support is conditional on the inclusion of UK content. This should usually be at least 20% of the portion of the support provided by UKEF. In this instance, UKEF has issued a guarantee to commercial lenders to help secure new export opportunities for the UK, which in turn support jobs across the UK, both in those businesses with which the project contracts directly, and in their supply chains. While there will be significant UK content, above the 20% threshold, we cannot comment on individual contracts for reasons of commercial sensitivity.

UKEF support is based on confirmed contracts for the provision of specialised services and components to support the construction project. UKEF is aware of several UK sub-contractors who are bidding for roles within the various construction contracts , but such selection is an ongoing process throughout the build phase.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, how many UK-based subcontractors are expected to be impacted from the Taiwan offshore wind project backed by UK Export Finance.

Answered by Gareth Thomas - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)

UK Export Finance (UKEF) support is conditional on the inclusion of UK content. This should usually be at least 20% of the portion of the support provided by UKEF. In this instance, UKEF has issued a guarantee to commercial lenders to help secure new export opportunities for the UK, which in turn support jobs across the UK, both in those businesses with which the project contracts directly, and in their supply chains. While there will be significant UK content, above the 20% threshold, we cannot comment on individual contracts for reasons of commercial sensitivity.

UKEF support is based on confirmed contracts for the provision of specialised services and components to support the construction project. UKEF is aware of several UK sub-contractors who are bidding for roles within the various construction contracts , but such selection is an ongoing process throughout the build phase.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the pres notice entitled New Storm Shadow and missile cooperation to boost jobs as UK and France reboot defence relationship, published on 9 July 2025, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that UK-based defence supply chain SMEs are able to bid for contracts in relation to the UK-France missile co-operation agreement.

Answered by Maria Eagle - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

Due to the nature of these procurements a number of exemptions from the procurement regulations will be applied, meaning that associated opportunities will be restricted, with a number of contracts being awarded single source.

That said UK based companies within the Storm Shadow supply chain, stand to benefit from this new agreement.

The Government’s forthcoming Defence Industrial Strategy will continue to examine how best to prioritise and promote UK based businesses across current and future Defence capabilities.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, how the Department intends to measure the economic impact of the Developing Countries Trading Scheme on UK importers.

Answered by Douglas Alexander - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)

The Department has not undertaken a further economic impact assessment following the launch of the DCTS. The Scheme provides UK businesses with the opportunity to diversify supply chains and reduce import costs by sourcing from DCTS countries, which benefit from duty-free access on an average of 94% of goods exported to the UK. We routinely monitor trade flows and utilisation of the Scheme, which shows that over £16 billion in UK imports has benefitted from tariff savings since the DCTS launched in June 2023. We also welcome feedback from businesses and beneficiaries on the operation of the Scheme.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what role the Developing Countries Trading Scheme plays in the Department’s strategy for strengthening UK trading relationships in sub-Saharan Africa.

Answered by Douglas Alexander - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)

We are committed to our trading relationships across the continent of Africa, founded on partnerships and respect, to deliver mutual long-term benefit. Recent UK-Africa consultations demonstrated that African partners want increased trade with countries like the UK, and within the continent. Trade has the potential to drive growth. The UK provides duty-free, or virtually duty-free, market access for goods from 48 countries in Africa through our Developing Countries Trading Scheme (DCTS) and network of Economic Partnership Agreements. The UK also continues to support African partners to boost intra-African trade and prosperity through the African Continental Free Trade Area Agreement.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential long-term tariff revenue impact of the Developing Countries Trading Scheme.

Answered by Douglas Alexander - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)

The Department has not undertaken a quantitative assessment of the future long-term tariff revenue impact of the DCTS. Before launching the DCTS, the Department estimated based on historical trade patterns, annual tariff savings of up to £770 million to UK imports, benefitting UK businesses and consumers.  The Scheme's primary objective is to support trade-led growth and poverty reduction in developing countries. Any long-term impact on UK tariff revenue is expected to be modest and proportionate to the development benefits it delivers.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of the removal of seasonal tariffs under the Developing Countries Trading Scheme on UK business sectors.

Answered by Douglas Alexander - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)

The Developing Countries Trading Scheme entered into force in June 2023 following thorough consultation and analysis. This included consultation with private sector stakeholders on UK market sensitivities. Seasonal tariffs were subsequently removed for four products (strawberries, cucumbers, artichokes, and wilkings) for imports from Enhanced Preferences countries. Where there is a risk to UK competitiveness, tariffs have been retained. The Government keeps trade preferences under review and may amend them in line with strategic trade priorities.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether her Department is taking steps to improve the (a) quality and (b) comparability of impact reporting by charities in receipt of public grant funding.

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

DCMS is committed to comprehensive evaluation and impact reporting of our major grant funding programmes, including those delivered by charities. These evaluation reports are published on DCMS’ research page on GOV.UK.

Beyond impact reporting on DCMS’ own grant funding, we are working with civil society to improve the quality and comparability of data and evidence. One mechanism for this is the ‘Statement of Recommended Practice: Accounting and Reporting by Charities’ (‘the Charities SORP’) which ensures consistency and transparency across the sector, making charity accounts comparable, understandable and useful for donors, beneficiaries, and the public alike. The UK Charities SORP-making body has recently undertaken a public consultation on improvements to the Charities SORP which include improving information for beneficiaries, donors and the public about how charity resources are stewarded.

DCMS recognises the importance of good quality data and evidence on charities’ work, as well as the challenges charities can face in measuring and reporting on their impact. Through the Civil Society Covenant, published on 17 July, we will work in partnership with the sector to improve data collection and strengthen the sharing of information and best practice. This includes government making the data it collects more accessible and working with civil society organisations to improve transparency and accountability around the money they receive.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what discussions he has had with local authorities on supporting the development of green innovation investment zones.

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

As set out in the Clean Energy Industries Sector Plan, part of the Industrial Strategy, the department is launching a new Industrial Strategy Zones Net Zero Network, which will support collaboration between partners in Industrial Strategy Zones such as Investment Zones and Freeports, including local authorities.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent discussions her Department has had with (a) Buckinghamshire Council and (b) Milton Keynes City Council on the use of data sharing improvements set out in the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill.

Answered by Janet Daby - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

The department has not held formal bilateral discussions with Buckinghamshire Council or Milton Keynes City Council specifically on the data sharing provisions in the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill. However, all local authorities as well as multi-agency practitioners, were invited to national webinars held in June and July this year which engaged over 400 practitioners. The department will continue to engage with the sector throughout the implementation of these measures to ensure local perspectives are reflected.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what mechanisms are in place to share safeguarding intelligence between local authorities and law enforcement in cases involving suspected exploitative children’s homes.

Answered by Janet Daby - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

Although current legislation permits information sharing to safeguard and protect the wellbeing of children, practitioners have told the department that they often only feel confident sharing where there are serious child protection concerns.

As outlined in ‘Keeping children safe, helping families thrive’, the department is taking two important legislative steps to improve how services share information to support children and families more effectively.

Firstly, the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill introduces provision in law, paving the way for a consistent identifier to be specified and the organisations required to use it, at a later date, via regulations.

Secondly, the Bill also seeks to put an end to misconceptions about the legal barriers to sharing information, introducing a clear legal basis for sharing information for the purposes of safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children.

Ofsted inspect children’s homes once a year and take immediate action where there are safeguarding concerns, working with local authorities to protect children. The department is strengthening Ofsted’s powers via the Bill, introducing provider oversight to complement the existing regulatory regime, enabling Ofsted to act at scale and pace by requiring provider groups to improve quality where Ofsted identify concerns, and take action for non-compliance. The relevant local authorities will be informed.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what data the Department holds on the number of children placed in out-of-area care in unregistered settings in (a) Buckinghamshire and (b) Milton Keynes since 2020.

Answered by Janet Daby - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

The department does not centrally hold information on the number of children looked after in unregistered settings.

The department collects data on children looked after by placement type, such as foster care, children’s home, supported accommodation and those in unregistered accommodation. However, unregistered accommodation placements are reported by local authorities within the category ‘Other’ so cannot be identified separately.

The latest information on children looked after placements, relating to the year ending 31 March 2024 was published on 14 November 2024 in the annual statistical release ‘Children looked after in England including adoptions’. This can be accessed at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/children-looked-after-in-england-including-adoptions/2024.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what recent discussions her Department has had with major UK-based foundations on aligning private giving with national social impact priorities.

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

This government is committed to putting local people, communities and places first, supporting philanthropic growth across the country is an important route to mobilise more private capital to deliver public good.

In partnership with the Chief Secretary of the Treasury, DCMS’ Secretary of State, established the Social Impact Investment Advisory Group earlier this year to advise on how impact capital, including philanthropy, can support the national missions. The group brings together government, socially motivated investors, representatives from civil society and social investment and philanthropy experts. Major UK-based foundations are represented on both the Advisory Group and its working groups.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, with reference to his Department's policy paper entitled Industrial strategy partnership: joint statement between the UK and France, published on 11 July 2025, what steps his Department is taking to monitor the implementation of bilateral investment projects.

Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

The Department for Business and Trade (DBT) tracks UK investment in various ways, including through its global network and central platform, DataHub, which monitors all Office for Investment (OfI) projects. This includes investments announced on 11 July during the UK-France Summit and the UK-France Industrial Strategy Partnership.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what mechanisms are in place to monitor delivery partners' performance in disbursing Drive35 programme funding.

Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

DRIVE35 is delivered through the Advanced Propulsion Centre UK (APC) and Innovate UK, part of UKRI.

DRIVE35 programme funding dispersed by the programme’s delivery partners is monitored in line with Cabinet Office Grant Functional Standards to ensure compliance with grant conditions and alignment with delivery requirements and the programme’s objectives. This includes undertaking effective assurance of the delivery activities undertaken by delivery partners.

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 contribution of the Drive35 programme to the UK's domestic supply chain resilience in the automotive sector.

Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

DRIVE35 will ensure the UK remains at the forefront of zero-emission vehicle manufacturing It will support the latest research and development, accelerate commercial scale up, and unlock capital investment in zero emission vehicles, batteries, and the wider supply chain. This will help in strengthening UK supply chain resilience, and boost competitiveness in the sector.

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 ensure that SMEs can access funding opportunities under the Drive35 programme.

Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

DRIVE35 will ensure the UK remains at the forefront of zero-emission vehicle manufacturing. It will support the latest R&D in strategic vehicle technologies, accelerate their commercial scale-up, and unlock investment across all aspects of automotive electrification, enabling a holistic transition to next-generation electric vehicle technologies. All DRIVE35 competitions are open to SMEs.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what plans his Department has to support the monitoring of environmental lead contamination by conservation bodies in Buckinghamshire.

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

Under the Environment Improvement Plan, we provide long-term monitoring in England to assess and manage risk from substances known to be harmful, including lead. Trends for exposure of people and wildlife to harmful chemicals are set out in the Outcome Indicator Framework for the Environment Improvement Plan.

Minister Hardy recently announced a decision to restrict the use of lead in certain ammunition through UK REACH. This is now being taken forward, including how the restriction will be enforced and monitored. The Health and Safety executive, alongside the Environment Agency, will be responsible for monitoring this restriction.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what support her Department is providing to help ensure early years providers are included in the Stronger Practice Hubs expansion programme in (a) Buckinghamshire and (b) Milton Keynes.

Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

As part of the ‘Giving every child the best start in life’ strategy, the department is doubling the number of Stronger Practice Hubs from 18 to 36, securing their future for a further three years, and funding partnerships between nurseries and schools to share evidence-based practice and strengthen links across settings, helping more children have a smooth transition into reception. Nearly 10,000 settings are part of Hub networks as of March 2025, including 72 settings in Buckinghamshire and 13 in Milton Keynes. Support for this region is provided by the Thames Valley and South Central Early Years Stronger Practice Hub based at Blagdon Nursery School, Reading. Contextual information based on geography, provider type and deprivation ranking were considered to ensure an even spread of Stronger Practice Hubs across the country of different provider types and location. We anticipate similar factors to be considered in the expansion of the Stronger Practice Hub programme across all regions, including the South East region, which Buckinghamshire and Milton Keynes sit within.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate her Department has made of the proportion of early years settings in (i) Buckinghamshire and (ii) Milton Keynes currently employing at least one early years teacher.

Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

The early years census workforce data provides responses from private, voluntary and independent early years providers delivering funded entitlements to children aged 2 to 4 years of age. Staff holding Early Years Teacher Status, Early Years Professional Status and Qualified Teacher Status are amalgamated as accredited graduate staff members in this dataset. The department does not hold data on the proportion of early years teachers in these areas in other types of early years settings such as school-based nurseries and childminders.

In 2024, 109 providers in Buckinghamshire (29%) and 7 providers in Milton Keynes (4%), delivering 15-hour entitlement, employed at least one accredited graduate staff member.

In 2024, 97 providers in Buckinghamshire (28%) and 6 providers in Milton Keynes (4%), delivering 30-hour entitlement, employed at least one accredited graduate staff member.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what estimate his Department has made of the number of non-domestic rooftops with solar installation potential under the revised national solar deployment targets in (a) Buckinghamshire and (b) Milton Keynes.

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

No assessment has been made. However, the Government is aware of the significant potential that commercial rooftops have to play in our mission to make the UK a clean energy superpower. The recently published Solar Roadmap sets out actions for government and industry to unlock this potential including developing guidance for landlords and tenants to navigate the complex lease agreements that often hold back rooftop solar deployment.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what estimate his Department has made of the proportion of community solar project applications in Buckinghamshire that have progressed to commissioning since 2022.

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

Solar is at the heart of the Government's mission to make the United Kingdom a clean energy superpower.

In 2025/26, we have set up £5 million in grant funding through the Great British Energy Community Fund (GBE:CF), which is available to community energy groups to help communities develop their own clean energy projects, including solar-powered generation.

Since 2022, the department has funded a hydro project in the Buckinghamshire region through the Community Energy Fund. No solar projects have been funded to date. However, the Greater Southeast Hub is currently reviewing applications from the window that closed on the 7^th July.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what recent estimate his Department has made of the economic contribution of the solar supply chain including (a) manufacturers and (b) installers in Buckinghamshire.

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

No such estimate has been made by the Department.

We recognise that manufacturers and installers will contribute significantly to our clean power ambitions. The Solar Roadmap sets out actions for Government and industry aimed at maximising the opportunities arising from further commercialisation of solar technologies and components and delivering a resilient, highly skilled, well-paid solar workforce throughout the UK.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps his Department has taken to track the proportion of solar developments in Buckinghamshire that incorporate biodiversity net gain requirements.

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

Biodiversity net gain is a legal requirement under the Environment Act 2021. This means that, to acquire planning permission, biodiversity must increase by 10% compared to previous levels. This is currently only the case for projects being decided in the local planning system. Defra is consulting on mandatory biodiversity net gain for Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects (NSIPs) and any changes in policy will be reflected in future updates to the National Policy Statements.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps his Department is taking with distribution network operators to help reduce grid connection delays for solar projects proposed in Buckinghamshire.

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

We are working closely with Ofgem and the network companies to develop and deliver fundamental reform of the grid connections process. National Energy System Operator’s proposals for connections reform were approved by Ofgem on 15 April. These reforms will release up to 500GW of capacity from the oversubscribed connections queue. This will enable accelerated connections, including for solar projects in Buckinghamshire connecting at both transmission and distribution level, where they are ready and aligned with our strategic needs, as set out in the Clean Power 2030 Action Plan.

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 the total area of low-grade agricultural land suitable for ground-mounted solar deployment in Buckinghamshire.

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

The Department currently monitors the geographical location of solar developments through the Renewable Energy Planning Database (REPD). While we currently do not hold data on the type of land used in different counties, there are plans to broaden the scope of this database to provide information on the area and types of agricultural land used by existing solar projects and those in the planning pipeline.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps his Department is taking to provide up-to-date guidance on cumulative impact assessment for solar infrastructure to Buckinghamshire Council.

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

Planning guidance already sets out how decision-makers should consider cumulative impacts where a number of solar projects are deployed in close proximity, and is clear that projects are designed to avoid, mitigate and where necessary compensate for this. Solar farms can usually be easily screened by hedges and other vegetation, and visual impact is carefully considered during the planning process.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is planning to take to monitor training uptake among early years staff for delivery of the revised phonics-based framework.

Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

The writing framework builds on the success of the government’s reading framework and its focus on phonics teaching, which has seen 100,000 more children every year build strong foundations in reading.

The writing framework is the department’s first step in a longer-term strategy to support schools to improve writing teaching and attainment. Given the department’s commitment to a record 75% of children reaching a good level of development at the end of reception by 2028, we encourage schools to prioritise reception year, particularly early literacy skills such as writing.

The writing framework emphasises the important role that reception year plays in building the foundations for writing which supports children throughout primary school and underpins their success at the end of key stage 2. The department has advised that during the 2025/26 academic year, schools should read the writing framework and use the audits to evaluate their current provision and plan improvements.

English Hubs will conduct webinars throughout the 2025/26 academic year, aimed at teachers and subject leads, focusing on the key messages and section summaries of the framework.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent discussions her Department has had with early years providers on the implementation of the new phonics-inspired framework.

Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

The writing framework builds on the success of the government’s reading framework and its focus on phonics teaching, which has seen 100,000 more children every year build strong foundations in reading.

The writing framework is the department’s first step in a longer-term strategy to support schools to improve writing teaching and attainment. Given the department’s commitment to a record 75% of children reaching a good level of development at the end of reception by 2028, we encourage schools to prioritise reception year, particularly early literacy skills such as writing.

The writing framework emphasises the important role that reception year plays in building the foundations for writing which supports children throughout primary school and underpins their success at the end of key stage 2. The department has advised that during the 2025/26 academic year, schools should read the writing framework and use the audits to evaluate their current provision and plan improvements.

English Hubs will conduct webinars throughout the 2025/26 academic year, aimed at teachers and subject leads, focusing on the key messages and section summaries of the framework.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what criteria her Department plans to use for determining the future scalability of the Digital Gilt Instrument issuance model beyond the pilot phase.

Answered by Emma Reynolds - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)

At Mansion House the government set out an update on the DIGIT pilot, outlining a range of ambitious design features the government intends to take forward and encourage as a part of the DIGIT pilot.

These design features include testing on-chain settlement, supporting interoperability, delivering greater transparency, and working with the sector to encourage the future development of secondary markets and solutions to enable collateral mobility.

These features reflect feedback from stakeholders, including across the financial services sector, received as part of the government’s market engagement exercise that closed in April 2025.

The government is committed to ongoing work with the sector to ensure the success of the DIGIT pilot both in terms of the issuance itself and its wider impact.

The priority at this stage is delivering the pilot and no decisions have been made on further issuances.

As the government has set out previously, the pilot DIGIT issuance will be separate from our standard debt issuance programme.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what analysis her Department has conducted on the interoperability of the UK’s digital sovereign debt framework with digital securities infrastructure developed by other G7 countries.

Answered by Emma Reynolds - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)

At Mansion House the government set out an update on the DIGIT pilot, outlining a range of ambitious design features the government intends to take forward and encourage as a part of the DIGIT pilot.

These design features include testing on-chain settlement, supporting interoperability, delivering greater transparency, and working with the sector to encourage the future development of secondary markets and solutions to enable collateral mobility.

These features reflect feedback from stakeholders, including across the financial services sector, received as part of the government’s market engagement exercise that closed in April 2025.

The government is committed to ongoing work with the sector to ensure the success of the DIGIT pilot both in terms of the issuance itself and its wider impact.

The priority at this stage is delivering the pilot and no decisions have been made on further issuances.

As the government has set out previously, the pilot DIGIT issuance will be separate from our standard debt issuance programme.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what discussions her Department has had with institutional investors on (a) settlement risk and (b) custodianship models for digital sovereign debt instruments.

Answered by Emma Reynolds - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)

At Mansion House the government set out an update on the DIGIT pilot, outlining a range of ambitious design features the government intends to take forward and encourage as a part of the DIGIT pilot.

These design features include testing on-chain settlement, supporting interoperability, delivering greater transparency, and working with the sector to encourage the future development of secondary markets and solutions to enable collateral mobility.

These features reflect feedback from stakeholders, including across the financial services sector, received as part of the government’s market engagement exercise that closed in April 2025.

The government is committed to ongoing work with the sector to ensure the success of the DIGIT pilot both in terms of the issuance itself and its wider impact.

The priority at this stage is delivering the pilot and no decisions have been made on further issuances.

As the government has set out previously, the pilot DIGIT issuance will be separate from our standard debt issuance programme.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether her Department has set a timetable for evaluating the compatibility of digital gilt infrastructure with international bond trading platforms.

Answered by Emma Reynolds - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)

At Mansion House the government set out an update on the DIGIT pilot, outlining a range of ambitious design features the government intends to take forward and encourage as a part of the DIGIT pilot.

These design features include testing on-chain settlement, supporting interoperability, delivering greater transparency, and working with the sector to encourage the future development of secondary markets and solutions to enable collateral mobility.

These features reflect feedback from stakeholders, including across the financial services sector, received as part of the government’s market engagement exercise that closed in April 2025.

The government is committed to ongoing work with the sector to ensure the success of the DIGIT pilot both in terms of the issuance itself and its wider impact.

The priority at this stage is delivering the pilot and no decisions have been made on further issuances.

As the government has set out previously, the pilot DIGIT issuance will be separate from our standard debt issuance programme.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the Digital Gilt Instrument issuance on the operational framework of the UK Debt Management Office.

Answered by Emma Reynolds - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)

At Mansion House the government set out an update on the DIGIT pilot, outlining a range of ambitious design features the government intends to take forward and encourage as a part of the DIGIT pilot.

These design features include testing on-chain settlement, supporting interoperability, delivering greater transparency, and working with the sector to encourage the future development of secondary markets and solutions to enable collateral mobility.

These features reflect feedback from stakeholders, including across the financial services sector, received as part of the government’s market engagement exercise that closed in April 2025.

The government is committed to ongoing work with the sector to ensure the success of the DIGIT pilot both in terms of the issuance itself and its wider impact.

The priority at this stage is delivering the pilot and no decisions have been made on further issuances.

As the government has set out previously, the pilot DIGIT issuance will be separate from our standard debt issuance programme.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps his Department is taking to monitor the effectiveness of local authority engagement strategies with residents during the planning of solar developments in Buckinghamshire.

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

The Government does not set out or monitor how individual local authorities, including Buckinghamshire, engage residents in the planning of solar developments, in recognition of their autonomy and flexibility to deliver net zero according to each local area’s varying needs and opportunities.

Nationally, Government engages with the public on solar and other low carbon technologies in the Public Attitudes Tracker, a triannual household survey tracking public awareness and attitudes relating to the Department’s policy areas.

The Government is working with GBE to develop the Local Power Plan, to turbocharge the UK’s local and community energy sector. Charles Warren Academy in Milton Keynes was one of the first schools to receive solar panels funded by GBE alongside the Department for Education.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the UK Sustainability Disclosure Standards on the development of international sustainability reporting frameworks.

Answered by Emma Reynolds - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)

The government was a strong supporter of the establishment and development of the International Sustainability Standards Board (ISSB) as a global standard setter for sustainability reporting at COP26 to drive international alignment. The ISSB published international standards on sustainability disclosures in 2023, known as S1 and S2.

On 25th June 2025, the government published its consultation on the draft UK-endorsed standards, which will be known as UK Sustainability Reporting Standards (UK SRS) and are based on the ISSB standards.

These standards aim to support long-term, sustainable decision-making by the business and investment community by providing high-quality and comparable information about the sustainability-related risks and opportunities that businesses face.

Greater use of these standards internationally will reduce the costs to businesses of reporting on sustainability matters in multiple jurisdictions and maximise the consistency of information for investors, allowing them to deploy their funding to maximum effect and support economic growth.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what plans she has to evaluate the effectiveness of the Sustainable Finance Education Charter in building domestic capacity to develop transition-aligned financial products.

Answered by Emma Reynolds - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)

The Sustainable Finance Education Charter (the Charter) is a partnership between the government, the Green Finance Institute and thirteen leading global professional bodies, who consider how best to embed skill requirements for sustainability into their professional qualifications. The Charter group meet regularly and independently of government to better ensure that finance professionals are equipped to assess climate-related and wider environmental and social sustainability risks and apply their professional skills and judgements to innovate and address these.

The Charter signatories respond to the needs of the industry, and this includes the increasing importance of transition finance. One of the recommendations from the Transition Finance Market Review (TFMR) called on bodies from the Charter to produce a forward-looking plan for the development of transition plan assurance skills and methodologies. The Charter’s 2024 progress report sets out the details of how they are meeting this recommendation.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what discussions she has had with institutional investors on the barriers to scaling transition finance in priority sectors of the UK economy.

Answered by Emma Reynolds - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)

The government is prioritising the growth of the transition finance market to seize the opportunities for UK financial services firms and support decarbonisation. The Transition Finance Market Review (TFMR) identified a number of barriers to scaling transition finance, including unlocking defined contribution pension investment in the transition.

Building on the TFMR, the government set out the actions it has taken to promote the growth of this market in the Financial Services Growth and Competitiveness Strategy. This included reforms to unlock institutional investment in transition assets following the Pensions Investment Review. The government also launched the National Wealth Fund with additional capital, risk appetite and resources to proactively explore blended finance solutions.

The government is actively engaged with the Transition Finance Council, which the Chancellor co-launched with the City of London Corporation in November 2024. The Council brings together key stakeholders to discuss transition finance, including institutional investors.

The government is also supportive of the Financial Conduct Authority’s work, in partnership with the Prudential Regulation Authority and the Green Finance Institute, to spearhead a transition finance pilot – an innovative way to engage with the market on practical matters relating to scaling transition finance.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what discussions she has had with (a) the Financial Policy Committee and (b) Prudential Regulation Committee on their roles in ensuring macro-financial stability during the transition to a nature-positive economy.

Answered by Emma Reynolds - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)

The Government is committed to integrating nature into economic and financial decision-making. The Financial Policy Committee’s latest remit, as set out by the Chancellor in November 2024, sets out that the Committee should continue to consider the materiality of nature-related financial risks in relation to its primary objective of protecting and enhancing financial stability.

The remits for the Financial Policy Committee and Prudential Regulation Committee also make clear that they should support the Government’s approach to accelerate the transition to a climate resilient, nature positive, and net zero economy.

The Chancellor and the Governor of the Bank of England meet regularly to discuss the outlook for UK financial stability.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that new mental health staff are deployed in areas of greatest demand in Buckingham and Bletchley constituency.

Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

As part of our mission to build a National Health Service that is fit for the future and that is there when people need it, the Government is recruiting an additional 8,500 mental health workers to help ease pressure on busy mental health services across the NHS, including in the Buckingham and Bletchley constituency. More than 6,700 extra mental health workers have been employed since July, as per the latest data.

We are working with NHS England to deliver a refreshed workforce plan, which will revolve around the three shifts to deliver our 10-Year Health Plan: moving more care from hospitals to communities; making better use of technology in health and care; and focusing on preventing sickness, not just treating it.

Responsibility for the onward commissioning of mental health services sits with integrated care boards (ICB). It is the role of local ICB decision-makers to consider the implications of mental health services, specific to each geography and including the perspectives of healthcare professionals, patient advocacy groups, and local authorities.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what plans she has to evaluate the impact of sustainable finance policies on the distribution of capital flows across UK regions.

Answered by Emma Reynolds - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)

As outlined in the Financial Services Growth & Competitiveness Strategy, the government is taking steps to maintain the UK’s international leadership in sustainable finance.

While the government has not made a specific evaluation on the impact of sustainable finance policies on the distribution of capital flows across UK regions, we expect our approach to sustainable finance to increase capital flows in the UK and maintain our position as the leading sustainable finance hub. As set out in the Clean Energies Sector Plan, the government is committed to spreading investment in clean energy in clusters across the UK's nations and regions.

In October 2024, the Chancellor also launched the National Wealth Fund (NWF) with £27.8 billion of capital to catalyse and mobilise additional private investment across the UK. The NWF is uniquely positioned to support regional and local strategies with commercial and financial advisory and lending support throughout the investment cycle to deliver on local priorities, supporting them with early-stage project development.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the regulatory impact of integrating nature-related financial risks into mandatory financial disclosure requirements.

Answered by Emma Reynolds - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)

The government welcomes the continued progress on developing sustainability standards by the International Sustainability Standards Board (ISSB), and welcomes the ISSB’s ongoing research on biodiversity, ecosystems and ecosystem services. On 25th June 2025, the government published its consultation on the draft UK-endorsed standards, which will be known as UK Sustainability Reporting Standards (UK SRS) and are based on the ISSB standards.

The UK government is supportive of companies building their capacity on nature through the UK Consultation Group of the Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosures (TNFD).

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether she has considered the potential merits of mandating the Listings Taskforce to consider sector-specific listing challenges for those priority areas identified in the Industrial Strategy.

Answered by Emma Reynolds - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)

The government is taking forward an ambitious programme of reforms to reinvigorate capital markets and ensure the UK is the best place for all firms to start, scale and list.

As the Chancellor announced at Mansion House on 15 July, the government will establish a Listings Taskforce to support businesses to list and grow in the UK. HM Treasury will work in partnership with the Office for Investment, and industry, to ensure the UK attracts the best and brightest businesses from around the world, and right here in the UK, to list on UK markets.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps she is taking to align the National Wealth Fund’s investment mandate with emerging international definitions of transition finance.

Answered by Emma Reynolds - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)

The National Wealth Fund is represented on the Strategic Steering Group of the Transition Finance Council which is considering how to build the UK’s transition finance market, including guidelines for credible transition finance.

In the Statement of Strategic Priorities issued to the National Wealth Fund on 19 March 2025, the Chancellor set Growth and Clean Energy as key priorities. Blended finance solutions are being explored alongside the NWF’s standard financial instruments to effectively use public capital to crowd in private investment and support the transition to a low carbon economy.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has made an estimate of the NHS dental workforce that will be required in Buckingham and Bletchley constituency in each of the next five years.

Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

We will publish a 10 Year Workforce Plan and will ensure the National Health Service has the right people in the right places, with the right skills to deliver the best care for patients, when they need it.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to help support the development of solar skills training programmes delivered through further education institutions based in Buckinghamshire.

Answered by Janet Daby - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

The government is committed to the UK becoming a clean energy superpower, achieving clean power by 2030 and net zero carbon emissions by 2050. Skills have a crucial role to play in achieving this mission. The department is working to ensure the English skills system supports learners, workers, and employers to prepare for jobs in renewable energy.

The department has provided over £500,000 to support the development of a brand-new Green Skills Energy Hub at the Aylesbury campus of the Buckinghamshire College Group. This facility will increase the number of people entering the construction sector and develop the skills of the workforce, closing the green skills gap within Buckinghamshire. The project includes capital funding for specialist, industry standard equipment, supporting training in renewables including solar power, electric vehicle chargers and heat pump engineering.

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 the resilience of energy storage infrastructure co-located with solar energy developments in Buckinghamshire.

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

The Department has made no specific assessment on this. We have outlined our plans for the deployment of battery storage in the Clean Power 2030 Action Plan and will work with industry, NESO and Ofgem to build on those actions through the Low Carbon Flexibility Roadmap announced in the Clean Power Action Plan. This will include actions to enable the deployment of batteries, on their own and co-located with generation.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps he is taking to ensure consistency in his planning decisions on applications for solar farm with proposed generating capacity above 50 MW.

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

Decisions on consent applications for ‘nationally significant’ projects are made in accordance with legislation set out in the Planning Act 2008, and the relevant National Policy Statement made in accordance with that Act. For solar, this is the Renewable Energy National Policy Statement, which sets out how nationally significant solar projects should be assessed.

For solar farms with a generating capacity below the ‘nationally significant’ threshold,

planning decisions are made by Local Planning Authorities in line with the Town and Country Planning Act 1990. The threshold for solar projects is currently 50MW but is increasing to 100MW from 31 December 2025.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what comparative assessment he has made of the average time taken for planning decisions for solar farm applications in (a) Buckinghamshire and (b) nationally.

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

Nationally Significant Infrastructure decisions are taken by this department and the majority of solar farm applications have been taken within the statutory deadline, although extensions are occasionally required. This department does not hold information on the time taken for solar application decisions taken by Local Authorities.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what guidance his Department plans to develop to help support life sciences SMEs to prepare evidence dossiers that will be compatible with Innovator Passport standards to enable rapid access to NHS procurement.

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

The Department and NHS England are committed to reducing procurement friction to support small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). The development of the Innovator Passport will include close engagement with industry, including SMEs, to ensure that the approach taken and the implementation reflects the needs of SMEs, including the provision of clear guidance and ongoing support. To support this, the Department is developing a digital product comparison platform called MedTech Compass which will align with the new National Health Service Innovator Passport and provide improved visibility of the products available from SMEs. The Department is also launching Value Based Procurement Standard Guidance early next year, to provide a consistent and transparent approach to assessing medical technology. The guidance includes a bank of questions and model answers which outline the types of evidence that should be provided by bidders, and followed close engagement with industry to develop.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what mechanisms are in place to ensure the alignment of Best Start Family Hubs with the rollout of Neighbourhood Health Services in (a) Buckinghamshire and (b) Milton Keynes.

Answered by Janet Daby - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

The department will launch a new Best Start in Life campaign in autumn which will guide parents, from pregnancy through their child's journey to starting school and beyond. It will be followed by a new Best Start digital parenting hub. Discussions around design and timelines for launch are ongoing. We are committed to ensuring it meets parents' needs and will share further updates as the work progresses.

We expect neighbourhood teams and services to be designed in a way that reflects the specific needs of local populations. Through local commissioning, we will ensure that Neighbourhood Health Services work in partnership with family hubs, schools, nurseries, childminders and colleges, ensuring support for young children’s health and development is available and accessible in communities.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what plans her Department has to (a) pilot and (b) test Best Start digital services in (i) Buckinghamshire and (ii) Milton Keynes.

Answered by Janet Daby - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

The department will launch a new Best Start in Life campaign in autumn which will guide parents, from pregnancy through their child's journey to starting school and beyond. It will be followed by a new Best Start digital parenting hub. Discussions around design and timelines for launch are ongoing. We are committed to ensuring it meets parents' needs and will share further updates as the work progresses.

We expect neighbourhood teams and services to be designed in a way that reflects the specific needs of local populations. Through local commissioning, we will ensure that Neighbourhood Health Services work in partnership with family hubs, schools, nurseries, childminders and colleges, ensuring support for young children’s health and development is available and accessible in communities.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many and what proportion of families are unable to access family support services in Buckingham and Bletchley constituency.

Answered by Janet Daby - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

The department does not currently hold data to determine the proportion of families who are unable to access family support services at constituency level. However, a 2024 survey by UNICEF UK and the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children found that one in four families with children under five cannot access local children’s centres or Family Hubs, rising to one in three low-income families.

On 7 July 2025, the government published ‘Giving every child the Best Start in Life’. This outlines our commitment to deliver a new Best Start Family Service to bring together parenting, healthcare and education support services, as well as creating and funding Best Start Family Hubs in every local authority. Local authorities not currently receiving funding for the programme this year will receive a development grant to support their preparations, ahead of national rollout of Best Start Family Hubs from April 2026.