Asked by: Callum Anderson (Labour - Buckingham and Bletchley)
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 support NHS trusts to increase same-day elective procedure capability.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Same-day elective procedures, or day surgeries, allow patients to be treated and discharged on the same day, helping to reduce waiting times, minimising cancellations due to bed pressures, and supporting patients to recover more quickly, in the comfort of their own home.
To expand same-day capability, we are investing in dedicated elective surgical hubs focused on high-volume, low-complexity procedures. These hubs improve productivity and support more patients to return home the same day, in line with the Right Procedure, Right Place principles.
There are currently 124 operational hubs in England, 23 of which have opened since the Government took office. Over the next three years, we are committed to increasing the number of hubs to boost surgical capacity and deliver faster access to common procedures.
NHS England also continues to run the Getting It Right First Time programme, as part of which trusts are supported to maximise hub productivity and increase the proportion of inpatient procedures completed as day surgeries.
Asked by: Callum Anderson (Labour - Buckingham and Bletchley)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking to ensure local communities are involved in the management of new national forests.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Community engagement is central to the approach we will encourage these new national forests to apply, and reflects the approach embedded by the original National Forest in the Midlands, which is managed by the National Forest Company. As an illustration of their dedication to community engagement, in 2021 the National Forest Company brought together its 70 community woods groups and conservation organisations under the Community Woods Network.
Asked by: Callum Anderson (Labour - Buckingham and Bletchley)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how she plans to (a) monitor and (b) report progress on establishing new national forests.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
All grants funded by the Nature for Climate fund are subject to the appropriate scrutiny as outlined in Defra’s Integrated Assurance and Approvals Strategy including checks on feasibility and value for money.
Asked by: Callum Anderson (Labour - Buckingham and Bletchley)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what estimate he has made of the resources allocated to improve export advisory capacity within UK business support services.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Department for Business and Trade is putting in place the policies and support needed to drive export-led business growth.
DBT has integrated its support for SMEs in a single, accessible place – the Business Growth Service – designed to help businesses across the UK start, scale, and succeed globally. From tailored market advice to free training through the Export Academy, we are making it easier for businesses to navigate global markets, seize opportunities, and build resilience.
Our Export Champions are also sharing their experience and encouraging and inspiring new and fledgling exporters.
Asked by: Callum Anderson (Labour - Buckingham and Bletchley)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what discussions his Department has had with (a) local authorities and (b) regional growth bodies on export-capability development.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
Working with local delivery bodies is a central part of our Plan for Small Businesses and Business Growth Service. A core principle of the Business Growth Service is local partnership working, including working with Growth Hubs and Mayoral Strategic Authorities.
Our Plan for Small Businesses, published in July, sets out the ways in which we will work with local authorities to deliver our ambitions of supporting businesses to grow.
Asked by: Callum Anderson (Labour - Buckingham and Bletchley)
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 press notice entitled Nation to benefit from two new national forests backed by £1 billion investment in tree planting, published on 5 November 2025, what her planned timetable is for planting trees.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
We intend to announce further details on the planned timetable for the OxCam corridor national forest in due course. Details of the competition for the third new national forest will also be published in due course.
Asked by: Callum Anderson (Labour - Buckingham and Bletchley)
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 press release entitled Nation to benefit from two new national forests backed by £1 billion investment in tree planting, published on 5 November 2025, what proportion of trees planted will be native species.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The design of the new forests will be led by delivery partners on the ground, so exact species mix is not known at this time. The woodlands created will be designed for multiple functions including recreation, flood management, timber production and wildlife habitat – the species will be selected to reflect these functions will differ from site to site.
Asked by: Callum Anderson (Labour - Buckingham and Bletchley)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking to ensure smaller food and drink producers in Buckinghamshire can access government support for reducing trade barriers.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Our global network of 16 agrifood and drink attachés are breaking down market access barriers and creating new export opportunities, delivering benefits to businesses in Buckinghamshire and across the UK. So far this year we have pulled down 41 trade barriers, estimated by industry to be worth nearly £100 million to the British food and drink sector. We work closely with industry to identify and resolve barriers, taking into account value and sectoral priorities. Barriers are identified and prioritised at national level but importance to local economies is taken into account. Our attaches focus on removing regulatory barriers for the agri-food and drink sector, including access for animal and plant products, as well as addressing issues such as labelling and other technical barriers to trade which can hinder exports. Together with market access secured through Free Trade Agreements, such as the recent agreement with India, this opens the door to British businesses to capitalise on strong global demand for British produce.
Businesses in Buckinghamshire can report a barrier directly through the online report a barrier service or via their trade association to Defra market access groups for each commodity category. There are a range of SME targeted tools and support available through the Business Growth Service via business.gov.uk to help businesses sell abroad and find the best country for their product. Additional support can be accessed through the UK Export Academy, which is a free training programme for UK businesses looking to grow their international sales.
Asked by: Callum Anderson (Labour - Buckingham and Bletchley)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what proportion of support for reducing trade barriers relates to non-tariff barriers.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Our global network of 16 agrifood and drink attachés are breaking down market access barriers and creating new export opportunities, delivering benefits to businesses in Buckinghamshire and across the UK. So far this year we have pulled down 41 trade barriers, estimated by industry to be worth nearly £100 million to the British food and drink sector. We work closely with industry to identify and resolve barriers, taking into account value and sectoral priorities. Barriers are identified and prioritised at national level but importance to local economies is taken into account. Our attaches focus on removing regulatory barriers for the agri-food and drink sector, including access for animal and plant products, as well as addressing issues such as labelling and other technical barriers to trade which can hinder exports. Together with market access secured through Free Trade Agreements, such as the recent agreement with India, this opens the door to British businesses to capitalise on strong global demand for British produce.
Businesses in Buckinghamshire can report a barrier directly through the online report a barrier service or via their trade association to Defra market access groups for each commodity category. There are a range of SME targeted tools and support available through the Business Growth Service via business.gov.uk to help businesses sell abroad and find the best country for their product. Additional support can be accessed through the UK Export Academy, which is a free training programme for UK businesses looking to grow their international sales.
Asked by: Callum Anderson (Labour - Buckingham and Bletchley)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of trade facilitation interventions on export volumes from Buckinghamshire.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Our global network of 16 agrifood and drink attachés are breaking down market access barriers and creating new export opportunities, delivering benefits to businesses in Buckinghamshire and across the UK. So far this year we have pulled down 41 trade barriers, estimated by industry to be worth nearly £100 million to the British food and drink sector. We work closely with industry to identify and resolve barriers, taking into account value and sectoral priorities. Barriers are identified and prioritised at national level but importance to local economies is taken into account. Our attaches focus on removing regulatory barriers for the agri-food and drink sector, including access for animal and plant products, as well as addressing issues such as labelling and other technical barriers to trade which can hinder exports. Together with market access secured through Free Trade Agreements, such as the recent agreement with India, this opens the door to British businesses to capitalise on strong global demand for British produce.
Businesses in Buckinghamshire can report a barrier directly through the online report a barrier service or via their trade association to Defra market access groups for each commodity category. There are a range of SME targeted tools and support available through the Business Growth Service via business.gov.uk to help businesses sell abroad and find the best country for their product. Additional support can be accessed through the UK Export Academy, which is a free training programme for UK businesses looking to grow their international sales.