Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the proposed rail reforms on commuter services from Bletchley.

Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The Railways Bill will enable the biggest overhaul of the rail sector in a generation. It will create stronger leadership by establishing Great British Railways as a new ‘directing mind’ for the industry, unifying track and train under a single public body to deliver better services for passengers and customers, and better value for money for taxpayers.

The Government launched an eight-week consultation on 18 February seeking views on the key legislative proposals that will form part of the upcoming Railways Bill.

Services from Bletchley will benefit from the changes set out above, alongside the rest of the network.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how funding from the farming innovation programme will be allocated among different agri-technology research and development projects.

Answered by Daniel Zeichner - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Applicants to the Farming Innovation Programme are assessed by the Programme’s delivery partner, Innovate UK, on how they address a particular challenge identified by industry (for industry-led partnership competitions) or by Defra (for thematic competitions) following submission of their application. We seek a balanced portfolio approach, which means that funding can be allocated in a way to benefit all farming sectors, while projects are assessed on their individual merit.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what proportion of Enterprise Investment Scheme funding was provided to companies based in Milton Keynes and Buckinghamshire in each of the last five financial years.

Answered by James Murray - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

HMRC publish national statistics for the Enterprise Investment Scheme (EIS) every year. HMRC’s most recent published statistics are for the 2022 to 2023 tax year.

HMRC publish statistics outlining regional investment, but this is not broken down further. Information about EIS funding in the South East can be found in these statistics publications. [1]

[ 1 ] Enterprise Investment Scheme, Seed Enterprise Investment Scheme and Social Investment Tax Relief: May 2024 - GOV.UK

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment her Department has made of the impact of (a) Venture Capital Trusts, (b) the Enterprise Investment Scheme, (c) the Seed Enterprise Investment Scheme and (d) the Social Investment Tax Relief on economic growth in the last five fiscal years.

Answered by James Murray - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

Growth is the central mission of the Government, and investment is a vital part of addressing the growth challenge. The venture capital schemes are a key part of this.

The venture capital schemes were evaluated in 2022, and these evaluations were published on gov.uk. [1] The evaluations found that the schemes were well targeted to address the market failure which makes it difficult for early-stage, high-risk companies to secure the investment they need.

SITR expired in April 2023.

[1] Evaluation of Venture Capital Schemes - GOV.UK

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many companies that received funding through the Enterprise Investment Scheme in the each of the last five financial years were in their first year of trading.

Answered by James Murray - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

The Enterprise Investment Scheme (EIS) offers tax reliefs for investors investing into companies below a certain age. This ensures it is targeted towards the most early-stage, high-risk companies, who face the greatest struggle securing the investment they need to grow and develop. The initial investment into a company must occur within 7 years of the company’s first commercial sale, or within 10 years for knowledge intensive companies (KICs).

HMRC does not publish statistics on the age or length of trading time for companies receiving investment through the Enterprise Investment Scheme (EIS).

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make an estimate of the projected annual quota for the Seasonal Worker Visa Scheme over the next five years.

Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)

The Home Office works closely with the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs to set the annual quotas for the Seasonal Worker route. This process takes into consideration a range of data and information including previous years’ usages, work force plans and industry intelligence because the Government keeps the annual quota numbers under review, we are unable to provide an estimated projection of what the visa numbers will be over the next five years.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what criteria her Department uses to establish the annual number of Seasonal Worker visas.

Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)

The Home Office works closely with the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs to set the annual quotas for the Seasonal Worker route. This process takes into consideration a range of data and information including previous years’ usages, work force plans and industry intelligence because the Government keeps the annual quota numbers under review, we are unable to provide an estimated projection of what the visa numbers will be over the next five years.

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 improve the representation of women in senior leadership positions within large (a) public and (b) private companies.

Answered by Justin Madders - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)

Promoting equal opportunities for women is a key part of this Government's Plan for Change, ensuring fair access to the best jobs. To that end, the Department for Business and Trade sponsors the FTSE Women Leaders Review, which collaborates with the UK's top public and private companies to achieve at least 40% representation of women on boards and at senior management levels.

The 2025 report evidences real progress in representation of women leaders across the top of UK businesses. The Government will continue to work with UK business and the Review to ensure the continuation of this promising momentum.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what information her Department holds on what the value of business rates written off by Buckinghamshire Council was in each of the last three financial years.

Answered by Jim McMahon - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

Data on the amount of business rates that local authorities have written off are published as part of the annual ‘Collection of council tax and business rates’ statistical release, published here: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/council-tax-statistics#collection-rates-for-council-tax-and-non-domestic-rates.

Local authorities are asked to report the amount written off in the financial year across three lines – in relation to bills for the year itself, in relation to the previous year only and in relation to earlier financial years. All local authority level data are published in Table 9.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment she has made of trends in Local Government Pension Scheme asset allocation to UK equities in the last ten years.

Answered by Jim McMahon - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS) invests approximately 9% of its total assets of c. £392 billion in UK equities (or 17% of its total equity holdings) compared to over 20% a decade ago. The government’s landmark pensions review aims to unlock investment in the UK economy.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment her Department has made of the potential contribution of the Mansion House compact on levels of pension investment.

Answered by Emma Reynolds - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)

The Mansion House Compact is a voluntary industry-led initiative with eleven signatories to secure better outcomes for defined contribution (DC) savers by increasing pension investment into unlisted equity. The ambition is to allocate at least 5% of the DC default funds to unlisted equities by 2030 and increase the proportion of UK pension and other relevant investments in unlisted equities.

The Government continues to monitor progress on the Mansion House commitments in collaboration with the Association of British Insurers (ABI). An update from the ABI suggests that signatory pension firms are making progress on these ambitions. The ABI’s latest publication highlights that firms have laid strong foundations to implement the commitment of allocating 5% of DC default funds to unlisted equities by 2030. Ten of the eleven signatories to the compact have taken steps to establish or expand their expertise in unlisted equity investment. Furthermore, eight of the eleven signatories have begun to develop specific solutions to enable increased unlisted equity investment.

The Government is also taking further proactive steps to increase investment in innovative businesses. In November, the British Business Bank completed its £250m Long Term Investment for Technology and Science (LIFTS) investment alongside £250m from Phoenix Group with Schroders Capital. The £500m investment vehicle will invest in UK late-stage companies focused on technology and science, with 20% of the fund expected to be invested in life sciences.

Additionally, two UK pension funds, Aegon UK and NatWest Cushon, have agreed to collaborate with the British Business Bank on launching the British Growth Partnership to crowd-in institutional investment into venture capital funds and innovative businesses here in the UK.