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 work has been done to model the impact of climate variability on farm profitability projections.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Results from Defra’s annual Farm Business Survey provide an assessment of how the weather and other factors have influenced farm profitability in the previous year. These are published at: Farm Business Survey - GOV.UK
Last year we published Baroness Batters’ Farming Profitability Review, which offers a clear assessment of the challenges facing farmers alongside 57 recommendations for strengthening farm businesses. We are grateful for this substantial piece of work, which is rooted in years of experience and provides important evidence to guide our approach. We will now carefully consider the findings and recommendations.
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 data his Department holds on projected child nutrition needs in Buckingham and Bletchley constituency associated with interventions in the Child Poverty Strategy.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Tackling child poverty is at the heart of the Government’s mission to break down barriers to opportunity and its commitment to raising the healthiest generation of children in history. We know that poverty can have a long-lasting impact on children’s health. In the ambitious Child Poverty Strategy, the Government reaffirmed our commitment to strengthen the support available for families to address their health needs. For example, we have committed to supporting those who need access to healthy, affordable nutrition by increasing the value of Healthy Start by 10% and setting out measures to give parents and carers the confidence to choose lower priced infant formula and to make infant formula more affordable.
The assessment of the health needs of a local population is the responsibility of local authorities through a Joint Strategic Needs Assessment. These assessments are funded through the Public Health Grant. In Buckingham and Bletchley, Buckinghamshire County Council and Milton Keynes City Council provide these assessments, with further information available at the following link:
https://miltonkeynes.jsna.uk/jsna/children-young-people/
Child health data, including obesity and physical activity, is held on Fingertips at national, regional, and local levels in England. Data from the National Child Measurement Programme can serve as proxy measures of nutritional status. Aggregated data on obesity and overweight prevalence is not available at Parliamentary constituency level but is available at ward and local authority levels. The following table shows the percentage of obesity, including severe obesity, and the prevalence of overweight, including obesity, within each ward in the Buckingham and Bletchley constituency, from 2022/23 to 2024/25:
Ward name | Percentage of obesity (%) including severe obesity 2022/23 to 2024/25 | Prevalence of overweight (%) including obesity 2022/23 to 2024/25 | ||
Reception aged 4 to 5 years old | Year 6 aged 10 to 11 years old | Reception aged 4 to 5 years old | Year 6 aged 10 to 11 years old | |
Bletchley East | 11.8 | 26.5 | 24.7 | 38.8 |
Bletchley West | 11.5 | 25.5 | 27.1 | 38.7 |
Bletchley Park | 13.5 | 27.5 | 27.9 | 40.4 |
Buckingham West | 7.4 | 16.5 | 21.0 | 29.9 |
Buckingham East | 6.3 | 15.8 | 18.8 | 26.3 |
Great Brickhill | 9.1 | 14.1 | 21.2 | 28.2 |
Tattenhoe | 5.8 | 16.9 | 15.5 | 28.2 |
Winslow | 10.4 | 14.3 | 22.9 | 25.0 |
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 estimate his Department has made of the additional public health support needs of families in Buckingham and Bletchley constituency targeted by the Child Poverty Strategy.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Tackling child poverty is at the heart of the Government’s mission to break down barriers to opportunity and its commitment to raising the healthiest generation of children in history. We know that poverty can have a long-lasting impact on children’s health. In the ambitious Child Poverty Strategy, the Government reaffirmed our commitment to strengthen the support available for families to address their health needs. For example, we have committed to supporting those who need access to healthy, affordable nutrition by increasing the value of Healthy Start by 10% and setting out measures to give parents and carers the confidence to choose lower priced infant formula and to make infant formula more affordable.
The assessment of the health needs of a local population is the responsibility of local authorities through a Joint Strategic Needs Assessment. These assessments are funded through the Public Health Grant. In Buckingham and Bletchley, Buckinghamshire County Council and Milton Keynes City Council provide these assessments, with further information available at the following link:
https://miltonkeynes.jsna.uk/jsna/children-young-people/
Child health data, including obesity and physical activity, is held on Fingertips at national, regional, and local levels in England. Data from the National Child Measurement Programme can serve as proxy measures of nutritional status. Aggregated data on obesity and overweight prevalence is not available at Parliamentary constituency level but is available at ward and local authority levels. The following table shows the percentage of obesity, including severe obesity, and the prevalence of overweight, including obesity, within each ward in the Buckingham and Bletchley constituency, from 2022/23 to 2024/25:
Ward name | Percentage of obesity (%) including severe obesity 2022/23 to 2024/25 | Prevalence of overweight (%) including obesity 2022/23 to 2024/25 | ||
Reception aged 4 to 5 years old | Year 6 aged 10 to 11 years old | Reception aged 4 to 5 years old | Year 6 aged 10 to 11 years old | |
Bletchley East | 11.8 | 26.5 | 24.7 | 38.8 |
Bletchley West | 11.5 | 25.5 | 27.1 | 38.7 |
Bletchley Park | 13.5 | 27.5 | 27.9 | 40.4 |
Buckingham West | 7.4 | 16.5 | 21.0 | 29.9 |
Buckingham East | 6.3 | 15.8 | 18.8 | 26.3 |
Great Brickhill | 9.1 | 14.1 | 21.2 | 28.2 |
Tattenhoe | 5.8 | 16.9 | 15.5 | 28.2 |
Winslow | 10.4 | 14.3 | 22.9 | 25.0 |
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 guidance his Department issues to GP practices in the Buckingham and Bletchley constituency on early detection of prostate cancer.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
We are committed to ensuring that general practitioners (GPs) have the right training and systems to identify cancer symptoms. Use of specific clinical decision support tools are agreed at a local level. This will benefit cancer patients across England, including in Buckingham and Bletchley. GPs are responsible for ensuring their own clinical knowledge remains up-to-date and for identifying learning needs as part of their continuing professional development.
The Department is taking cancer detection seriously, including in GPs. The Government has recently launched Jess’s Rule, a patient safety initiative that introduces clinical guidance to support clinicians in taking a “fresh eyes” approach in GPs. It asks GPs to think again if, after three appointments, they have been unable to diagnose a patient, or their symptoms have escalated. This will benefit all cancer patients, including prostate cancer patients.
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 support his Department provides to public health teams operating in the Buckingham and Bletchley constituency to increase men’s engagement with preventative health services.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
On 19 November, to coincide with International Men’s Health Day, we published the first ever Men’s Health Strategy for England which aims to improve the health of all men and boys in England, including those in Buckingham and Bletchley constituency. The strategy includes tangible actions to improve access to healthcare, provide the right support to enable men to make healthier choices, develop healthy living and working conditions, foster strong social, community and family networks and address societal norms. It also considers how to prevent and tackle the biggest health problems affecting men of all ages, which include mental health and suicide prevention, respiratory illness, prostate cancer, and heart disease.
We recognise that many of the issues affecting men cannot be solved by the Government alone. The strategy sets out how other sectors, such as the National Health Service, local government, employers, charities, research funders and communities, can contribute to shared outcomes and highlights that improving men’s health will depend on how national priorities are translated into local delivery.
The Department support Upper Tier Local Authorities, including Buckinghamshire and Milton Keynes, with the Public Health Grant. This is ringfenced funding given to local government to improve the health of their local populations and to reduce inequalities. We recently announced details of a three-year funding settlement for local government, including the Public Health Grant.
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 mechanisms will be used to prioritise recommendations in the Farming Profitability Review.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
We are considering the 57 recommendations set out in the Farming Profitability Review. So far, we have announced the creation of a new Farming and Food Partnership Board, whose objective will be to strengthen food production at home and ensure policy delivers real change for farmers; and changes to planning rules to place greater emphasis on food production, making it easier for farmers to develop infrastructure such as reservoirs, greenhouses, polytunnels and farm shops. We are also stepping up action on supply chain fairness, and have announced a new SFI offer for 2026, which will be more focussed, more transparent and fairer so that as many farmers as possible can benefit from it. We will set out a fuller response later this year.
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 metrics will the Department use to measure improvements in men’s health outcomes in the Buckingham and Bletchley constituency over the next five years.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
On 19 November 2025, to coincide with International Men’s Health Day, we published the first ever Men’s Health Strategy for England. This aims to improve the health of all men and boys in England, including those in the Buckingham and Bletchley constituency.
The strategy includes investment in community-based men's health programmes and suicide prevention programmes, and a groundbreaking partnership with the Premier League to make sure people know what mental health support is available to them. It also includes comprehensive action on major health challenges including suicide, cancer, cardiovascular disease, and mental health.
This strategy is a crucial first step, laying the foundation from which we can learn, iterate, and grow. We will work with the Men's Health Academic Network and the voluntary, community, and social enterprise sector to develop and publish a one-year-on report, highlighting the improvements made and where future efforts will need to be targeted.
The strategy is not just a plan, it is a call to action to create a society where men and boys are supported to live longer, healthier, and happier lives. We recognise that many of the issues affecting men cannot be solved by the Government alone. The strategy also highlights how everyone can help by setting out how other sectors, such as the National Health Service, local government, employers, charities, research funders, and communities, can contribute to shared outcomes.
We do not hold data on how much funding has been allocated specifically to men’s mental health initiatives in the Buckingham and Bletchley constituency. This information may be held locally.
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 funding has been allocated to initiatives targeting male mental health in the Buckingham and Bletchley constituency.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
On 19 November 2025, to coincide with International Men’s Health Day, we published the first ever Men’s Health Strategy for England. This aims to improve the health of all men and boys in England, including those in the Buckingham and Bletchley constituency.
The strategy includes investment in community-based men's health programmes and suicide prevention programmes, and a groundbreaking partnership with the Premier League to make sure people know what mental health support is available to them. It also includes comprehensive action on major health challenges including suicide, cancer, cardiovascular disease, and mental health.
This strategy is a crucial first step, laying the foundation from which we can learn, iterate, and grow. We will work with the Men's Health Academic Network and the voluntary, community, and social enterprise sector to develop and publish a one-year-on report, highlighting the improvements made and where future efforts will need to be targeted.
The strategy is not just a plan, it is a call to action to create a society where men and boys are supported to live longer, healthier, and happier lives. We recognise that many of the issues affecting men cannot be solved by the Government alone. The strategy also highlights how everyone can help by setting out how other sectors, such as the National Health Service, local government, employers, charities, research funders, and communities, can contribute to shared outcomes.
We do not hold data on how much funding has been allocated specifically to men’s mental health initiatives in the Buckingham and Bletchley constituency. This information may be held locally.
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 is the Department taking to ensure providers of NHS services in the Buckingham and Bletchley constituency have the resources to implement the men’s health strategy.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
On 19 November 2025, to coincide with International Men’s Health Day, we published the first ever Men’s Health Strategy for England. This aims to improve the health of all men and boys in England, including those in the Buckingham and Bletchley constituency.
The strategy includes investment in community-based men's health programmes and suicide prevention programmes, and a groundbreaking partnership with the Premier League to make sure people know what mental health support is available to them. It also includes comprehensive action on major health challenges including suicide, cancer, cardiovascular disease, and mental health.
This strategy is a crucial first step, laying the foundation from which we can learn, iterate, and grow. We will work with the Men's Health Academic Network and the voluntary, community, and social enterprise sector to develop and publish a one-year-on report, highlighting the improvements made and where future efforts will need to be targeted.
The strategy is not just a plan, it is a call to action to create a society where men and boys are supported to live longer, healthier, and happier lives. We recognise that many of the issues affecting men cannot be solved by the Government alone. The strategy also highlights how everyone can help by setting out how other sectors, such as the National Health Service, local government, employers, charities, research funders, and communities, can contribute to shared outcomes.
We do not hold data on how much funding has been allocated specifically to men’s mental health initiatives in the Buckingham and Bletchley constituency. This information may be held locally.
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 data her Department holds on farmer-reported barriers to accessing private finance.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government regularly and actively engages with farmers to listen to their views and understand their concerns, including barriers to accessing private finance, and take their feedback into account. Defra has built up a good understanding of the main issues through our farming programmes, our investment readiness support, and evaluations. The recently published Review of Farming Productivity by Baroness Minette Batters has also provided us with additional insights and recommendations on how to unlock finance.