Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what mechanisms exist within the UK-Indonesia Economic Growth Partnership to tackle regulatory divergence affecting cross-border trade and investment.

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

The Economic Growth Partnership is a non-legally binding framework that will deepen cooperation between the UK and Indonesian Governments on areas of interest to our businesses. It is a signal of the UK and Indonesia’s commitment to grow our bilateral trade and investment.

The Economic Growth Partnership will address non-tariff and regulatory barriers raised by UK businesses, establish a regular dialogue to resolve issues and deepen co-operation in areas of commercial interest to the UK, including clean energy, health and life sciences, financial services and the digital economy.

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 support SMEs to benefit from trade and investment opportunities under the UK-Indonesia Economic Growth Partnership in Buckingham and Bletchley constituency.

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

By 2030 Indonesia is predicted to be the 16^th largest economy globally, and the 9^th largest by 2050. Indonesia’s growing middle class, abundant natural resources and economic potential presents trade and investment opportunities for UK companies. The Economic Growth Partnership provides a framework to support opportunities for UK and Indonesian businesses of all sizes and locations.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to her Department's report entitled Rural Economic Bulletin, updated on 10 December 2025, what assessment she has made of recent rural employment trends in Buckinghamshire.

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

The Official Statistics Rural-Urban Classification classifies Buckinghamshire as an intermediate urban authority, having between 20% and 35% of its population within rural areas. The Department has employment figures for Buckinghamshire as a whole.

Between 2020 and 2022 the proportion of the working-age population in Buckinghamshire who were employed rose from 77.7% to 81.6% before falling back to 80.5% in 2024. Data for Buckinghamshire for the 5 most recent years is published within Defra’s Rural Economic Bulletin Supplementary Data Tables. Worksheet AD contains the percentage of the working-age population who were employed for every local authority in England across the period 2006 to 2024.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what criteria his Department is using to identify regulatory barriers affecting high-growth firms.

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

The Department for Business and Trade engages regularly with stakeholders, businesses and their representative organisations to identify regulatory barriers affecting businesses, including high-growth firms. Last year we launched a business questionnaire ‘Unlocking Business: reform driven by you’ which gathered feedback from businesses to identify outdated, duplicative and disproportionate regulations and regulatory practices that hinder growth and innovation.

In addition to this, officials also held discussions with businesses in all four nations of the UK across key, growth-driving sectors, to identify other regulatory barriers to growth. Going forward, findings from these will be used to inform our Regulation for Growth programme.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, how the effectiveness of the growth package for scale-ups will be evaluated.

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

The growth package announced by the Secretary of State on 20th January builds upon commitments made in the Industrial Strategy. The departments and public bodies which operate the policies and programmes that make up the Industrial Strategy are responsible for conducting monitoring and evaluation of their policies. Further, the Industrial Strategy Advisory Council will oversee and provide advice in support of government to monitor and evaluate the Industrial Strategy as a whole. Government and public bodies will work with the Council to support this.

The £25m BBB investment into Kraken Technologies and £100m in fund investments will be evaluated against the BBB’s core KPIs of Gross Value Added and portfolio financial return. UKEF’s support for UK exporters through high-street banks helps to unlock additional finance for high-growth exporters and contributes to their five-year business plan which sets out their ambition to support over 1,000 SMEs per year by 2029. As the department's Accounting Officer, UKEF's CEO is accountable to Parliament.

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 regulatory reform supports access to domestic and international markets for scale-ups in Buckingham and Bletchley constituency.

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

Our Regulation Action Plan, published last year, included reforms to the regulatory system designed to unlock growth, boost innovation and reduce burdens across key business sectors. As part of this we will lift up to 51,000 companies from unnecessary reporting obligations through our modernising corporate reporting programme. New regulatory reviews will simplify and streamline rules, reducing paperwork, cutting duplication and supporting innovation.

Export-ready SMEs and scale-ups looking to sell to the world can access DBT’s export support services which provides free, in-market support.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what monitoring mechanisms her Department plans to use to track progress on water efficiency in domestic properties in Buckingham and Bletchley constituency.

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

As part of the water resources management plan (WRMP) process, it is a statutory requirement for water companies to produce an annual review of their plans. The annual review sets out delivery of each WRMP component, including progress on water efficiency in domestic properties. The annual review report and data is submitted to the Environment Agency and technically assessed. Outcomes from the annual review are also used to monitor progress against the Environmental Improvement Plan 2025 water efficiency target to reduce the amount of water used per-person.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how her Department plans to enforce compliance with proposed stormwater management measures in Buckinghamshire.

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

The Environment Agency (EA) is responsible for ensuring compliance. The EA has strengthened regulation of the water industry through new dedicated regulation and enforcement teams. Its Thames and East Anglia Areas have completed over 2,400 inspections since April 2025.

The EA has visited 7 Anglian Water assets since April and has followed up on the two minor non-compliances identified. It is planning to visit a further 13 Anglian Water assets in the Buckingham and Brackley area before the end of March 2026.

Stewkley Sewage Treatment Works (STW) and Quainton Sewage Pumping Station, both operated by Thames Water Utilities Limited, were inspected in May 2025 and January 2026, respectively. No major compliance issues were identified, and the operator agreed actions to resolve minor non-compliances found.

Stewkley STW is a high-spilling storm overflow site: measures are in place to investigate and reduce spill frequency under the Water Industry National Environment Programme (PR24) during AMP8 (2025-2030).

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what metrics her Department plans to use to evaluate the effectiveness of water conservation programmes in rural areas of Buckinghamshire.

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

As part of the water resources management plan (WRMP) process, it is a statutory requirement for water companies to produce an annual review of their plans. The annual review sets out delivery of each WRMP component, including the effectiveness of water efficiency measures for domestic and non-domestic water company customers in rural areas. Outcomes from the annual review are also used to monitor progress against the Environmental Improvement Plan 2025 which sets out England’s long term water efficiency strategy and includes metrics to reduce domestic and non-domestic water use.

For water users with their own source of supply, the Environment Agency regulates abstraction through the issuing of abstraction licences. The Environment Agency monitors the use of these licences to ensure they meet their licence conditions and do not risk damage to the environment.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of water resilience in Buckingham and Bletchley constituency in the context of climate change projections.

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

Anglian Water, as the water and wastewater provider for Milton Keynes and Buckingham, has the responsibility to assess the adequacy of water resilience in the context of climate change.

Anglian Water’s water resources management plan 2024 (WRMP24) evaluates the risk and possible impact of climate change and sets out likely implications for water supplies. Anglian Water has conducted a detailed assessment of climate change for each water resource zone (WRZ) in its area. The outcome of the assessment has been incorporated into Anglian Water’s WRMP24 forecasts and options are included to meet supply deficits caused by the impacts of climate change.

Anglian Water’s WRMP24 was reviewed by the Environment Agency and was published in September 2024.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of regulation on scale-ups operating across multiple sectors.

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

We routinely engage businesses to get their views to assess the impact of regulation on businesses, including through our business questionnaire ‘Unlocking business: reform driven by you’ and our regular Business Perceptions Survey.

Our Regulation Action Plan introduced a series of regulatory reforms designed to make the UK the best place to grow and scale and a business. Building on this, we are shifting the way we support our scale-ups to grow, as set out in the package of growth measures announced by the Secretary of State on 20^th January.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate her Department has made of the number of schools in the Buckingham and Bletchley constituency that will require capital adjustments to deliver expanded breakfast provision under the Child Poverty Strategy.

Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)

The department has so far successfully delivered 5 million meals through 750 early adopter free breakfast clubs and schools have told us about the many benefits these clubs provide including improved attendance, behaviour and attainment.

We have seen our early adopters successfully manage space constrains and we continue to encourage local authorities, responsible bodies, academy trusts, schools and providers to work together to solve problems collaboratively, ensuring the needs of parents and children are met.

Schools have flexibility to decide where to deliver their provision, in accordance with the minimum expectations. They are expected to consider all space available onsite, including classrooms. Alternatively, they can opt to offer the provision offsite at a nearby venue. Schools will receive a £1000 start-up grant to spend on any equipment, materials, training and infrastructure and systems needed to deliver.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the UK-Indonesia Economic Growth Partnership on financial services firms seeking market access in Indonesia.

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

The Economic Growth Partnership is a non-legally binding framework that will deepen cooperation between the UK and Indonesian Governments on areas of interest to our businesses, including in Financial Services.

The Economic Growth Partnership reaffirms the commitment by Indonesia’s Ministry of Finance and HM Treasury to hold a programme of Financial Services Working Groups to deepen dialogue and cooperation on key issues of mutual interest. It complements our support for Indonesia’s application to join the CPTPP.

A new Forum chaired by Indonesian and UK Ministers will monitor progress on activities set out in the Economic Growth Partnership.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps he is taking to co-ordinate with (a) the Chancellor of the Exchequer and (b) UK regulations on financial services engagement as a result of the UK-Indonesia Economic Growth Partnership.

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

The Economic Growth Partnership is a non-legally binding framework that will deepen cooperation between the UK and Indonesian Governments on areas of interest to our businesses, including in Financial Services.

The Economic Growth Partnership reaffirms the commitment by Indonesia’s Ministry of Finance and HM Treasury to hold a programme of Financial Services Working Groups to deepen dialogue and cooperation on key issues of mutual interest. It complements our support for Indonesia’s application to join the CPTPP.

A new Forum chaired by Indonesian and UK Ministers will monitor progress on activities set out in the Economic Growth Partnership.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what benchmarks his Department is using to assess progress on regulatory co-operation on financial services under the UK-Indonesia Economic Growth Partnership.

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

The Economic Growth Partnership is a non-legally binding framework that will deepen cooperation between the UK and Indonesian Governments on areas of interest to our businesses, including in Financial Services.

The Economic Growth Partnership reaffirms the commitment by Indonesia’s Ministry of Finance and HM Treasury to hold a programme of Financial Services Working Groups to deepen dialogue and cooperation on key issues of mutual interest. It complements our support for Indonesia’s application to join the CPTPP.

A new Forum chaired by Indonesian and UK Ministers will monitor progress on activities set out in the Economic Growth Partnership.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what discussions she has had with relevant stakeholders on targets that have been set for the UK Social Investment Fund in terms of measurable outputs for each of the next three financial years.

Answered by Lucy Rigby - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)

The Social Investment Fund was launched by M&G on 21^st January and aims to invest up to £1 billion into the UK economy over the next three to five years to support new affordable homes, regeneration projects and infrastructure. This commitment aligns with the Government’s aim to encourage LGPS assets to be invested to boost UK economic growth.

The Chancellor has discussed the fund with M&G and supports their intention to align it with the government’s Missions including urban regeneration, clean energy and essential infrastructure that improves health and community wellbeing.

It is private finance and M&G will manage the fund in the best interests of investors, to deliver measurable impact across the UK.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment her Department has made of the impact of potential barriers to rural workforce housing on farm labour availability.

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

The Government regularly reviews and publishes data relating to rural housing on GOV.UK: Housing Statistics for Rural England - GOV.UK. The Government gives all due consideration to this data, including implications for the rural workforce, when formulating policy.

In relation to seasonal workers via the visa route, there are no housing barriers identified for this cohort as accommodation is provided as part of the conditions of their sponsor, in the main part as on-farm caravan accommodation.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what funding has been allocated to cancer care infrastructure in Buckingham and Bletchley constituency in the next three financial years.

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

Improving cancer services, including diagnostic capacity and treatment infrastructure, is a priority for the Government.

The Government is committed to meeting all three National Health Service cancer waiting time standards across England. We are committed to transforming diagnostic services and will support the NHS to meet demand through investment in new capacity, including magnetic resonance imaging and computed tomography scanners. As of December 2025, community diagnostic centres are now delivering additional tests and checks on 170 sites across the country.

The forthcoming National Cancer Plan will set out further details as to how patients across England, including in Buckingham and Bletchley, will benefit from improved diagnostic services and cancer care infrastructure.

Funding for cancer pathways is multi-layered. The integrated care board uses the core Government allocation to commission services from providers, including cancer-related activity. Specialised commissioning directs funding towards specialist areas of healthcare, such as paediatric oncology and chemotherapy.

The East of England Cancer Alliance has been allocated approximately £16 million of revenue funds for 2026/27 which will support targeted programmes of work. The process to allocate these funds is currently live. System priorities have been identified and funding requests have been submitted for consideration.

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 improve diagnostic services for cancer in Buckingham and Bletchley constituency.

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

Improving cancer services, including diagnostic capacity and treatment infrastructure, is a priority for the Government.

The Government is committed to meeting all three National Health Service cancer waiting time standards across England. We are committed to transforming diagnostic services and will support the NHS to meet demand through investment in new capacity, including magnetic resonance imaging and computed tomography scanners. As of December 2025, community diagnostic centres are now delivering additional tests and checks on 170 sites across the country.

The forthcoming National Cancer Plan will set out further details as to how patients across England, including in Buckingham and Bletchley, will benefit from improved diagnostic services and cancer care infrastructure.

Funding for cancer pathways is multi-layered. The integrated care board uses the core Government allocation to commission services from providers, including cancer-related activity. Specialised commissioning directs funding towards specialist areas of healthcare, such as paediatric oncology and chemotherapy.

The East of England Cancer Alliance has been allocated approximately £16 million of revenue funds for 2026/27 which will support targeted programmes of work. The process to allocate these funds is currently live. System priorities have been identified and funding requests have been submitted for consideration.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of staffing levels for oncology services in Buckingham and Bletchley constituency.

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

Residents of Bletchley who access oncology care would most likely attend Milton Keynes University Hospital which offers on-site chemotherapy and radiotherapy, the latter led by the Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. Workforce reviews are currently under way to ensure that this trust can accommodate increasing demand for services and to ensure that residents can access new treatments when they become available.

The National Cancer Plan, which will be published shortly, will highlight how we will reform our workforce to improve cancer patient outcomes, including for those patients in the Buckingham and Bletchley constituency. We will ensure that we have the right staff, in the right places, with the right skills, so patients can access quality care when and where they need it.

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 adequacy of energy efficiency standards in private rented homes in Buckingham and Bletchley constituency.

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

Government is looking to raise minimum energy efficiency standards across the private rented sector to deliver warmer, cheaper to heat homes. Government has published its response to the consultation on minimum energy efficiency standards in the domestic private rented sector on 21 January 2026. The Government Response is accompanied by the Department’s Impact Assessment which includes a regional breakdown of private rented sector properties and the estimated impact of the policy.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, how his Department plans to measure the impact of the Warm Homes Plan on levels of fuel poverty in Buckingham and Bletchley constituency.

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

DESNZ’s annual sub-regional fuel poverty statistics estimate the rates of fuel poverty in constituencies within England, and will therefore reflect the impacts of the Warm Homes Plan in time.

The Department will publish monitoring statistics and evaluation of policies announced in the Warm Homes Plan. DESNZ currently publishes statistics covering the uptake and impacts of energy efficiency measures here.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of the business centre in Kyiv on the time taken to deliver defence equipment to Ukrainian armed forces that is supplied by the UK defence sector.

Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

The business centre is being designed to address the challenges that currently complicate operations for smaller UK companies. This will accelerate business processes and provide greater opportunities for both nations. The Ministry of Defence will work with the selected delivery partner, and relevant stakeholders, to ensure that the hub's operational framework delivers enduring change, including the transition to reconstruction at the appropriate time.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what estimate his Department has made of the number of UK small and medium‑sized defence companies that will use the business centre in Kyiv in its first year of operation.

Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

The business centre is specifically designed to help UK SMEs overcome practical barriers to operating in Ukraine, based on industry and industry bodies feedback. Estimates cannot be disclosed at this stage, as it could prejudice fair competition among potential delivery partners and operational delivery. The Ministry of Defence will work with the selected delivery partner and relevant stakeholders to ensure the scale meets the business need and is enduring.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether he plans to introduce a framework to monitor the potential impact of the business centre in Kyiv on UK defence exports to Ukraine.

Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

On completion of the procurement process, the Ministry of Defence will work with the selected delivery partner and relevant stakeholders to develop the business centre’s monitoring framework. As the centre becomes operational, we will integrate its activities within our existing monitoring and reporting frameworks to assess its contribution to UK-Ukraine defence exports, and wider UK trade as conditions change.

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 plans to take with (a) local authorities and (b) other Government Departments to help ensure that tenants in Buckingham and Bletchley constituency are aware of their rights under the Warm Homes Plan.

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

The government is standing up for tenants through our new minimum energy efficiency standards (MEES) in the private rented sector, and proposed standard for the social rented sector, which will lift around 650,000 households out of fuel poverty. We estimate that tenants could save an average of £210 on their annual energy bill.

Landlords should provide clear communication about changes being made, and government will provide guidance for landlords and tenants so that tenants know what to expect.

The government will also provide support to local government to enable successful Warm Homes delivery at the local level. This includes through the new Warm Homes Agency, which will offer households clear advice and a consistent, quality-assured service.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, how her Department plans to ensure that public sector digital initiatives support communities in Buckingham and Bletchley constituency.

Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

Our roadmap for modern digital government sets out how every corner of the state is using technology to make government work for the citizens it serves. It’s an action plan for the whole of the public sector, bringing together some of the most important products, platforms and transformation initiatives planned between now and 2030. Our commitments in the roadmap include strengthening collaboration between local authorities and central government, piloting local government services in the GOV.UK App and developing a strategic vision for local government technology.

To deliver this work, we launched GDS Local in November 2025 - a new unit within the Government Digital Service that brings central and local government together to improve how digital public services are designed and delivered. GDS Local works with local authorities across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland to support and accelerate digital transformation around key priorities which are set out in the Roadmap to a Modern Digital Government.

This new unit has already engaged with over 300 local government digital practitioners and will continue to support councils across the country to ensure public sector digital initiatives support local authorities and the citizens that they serve.