Asked by: Callum Anderson (Labour - Buckingham and Bletchley)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the data-gathering requirements needed to support future green bond issuances.
Answered by Lucy Rigby - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)
In 2024-25, the government raised £10.0 billion through green gilts and green savings bonds. The government plans to issue a total of £10.0 billion of green finance in 2025-26, subject to demand and market conditions. The amount of Green Financing to be issued in each financial year will be announced by HM Treasury as part of the annual government financing remit.
The Green Financing Framework, published in 2021 and updated in 2025, explains how proceeds from green gilts and NS&I’s retail Green Savings Bonds will finance public expenditures that demonstrate a direct and positive environmental impact.
The Framework includes guidelines on the types of expenditures that can be included in the Programme and commits the government to annual allocation reporting. Eligible expenditures are drawn from departments’ confirmed Spending Review settlements and assessed on the basis of their contribution to the government’s climate and environmental objectives. Details of the allocation of expenditure are normally published each year in the Green Financing Allocation Report, most recently published in October2024.
Asked by: Callum Anderson (Labour - Buckingham and Bletchley)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate she has made of the proportion of future sovereign financing expected to be raised under the Green Financing Framework.
Answered by Lucy Rigby - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)
In 2024-25, the government raised £10.0 billion through green gilts and green savings bonds. The government plans to issue a total of £10.0 billion of green finance in 2025-26, subject to demand and market conditions. The amount of Green Financing to be issued in each financial year will be announced by HM Treasury as part of the annual government financing remit.
The Green Financing Framework, published in 2021 and updated in 2025, explains how proceeds from green gilts and NS&I’s retail Green Savings Bonds will finance public expenditures that demonstrate a direct and positive environmental impact.
The Framework includes guidelines on the types of expenditures that can be included in the Programme and commits the government to annual allocation reporting. Eligible expenditures are drawn from departments’ confirmed Spending Review settlements and assessed on the basis of their contribution to the government’s climate and environmental objectives. Details of the allocation of expenditure are normally published each year in the Green Financing Allocation Report, most recently published in October2024.
Asked by: Callum Anderson (Labour - Buckingham and Bletchley)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what processes HM Treasury uses to co-ordinate Green Financing Framework reporting with other government departments.
Answered by Lucy Rigby - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)
In 2024-25, the government raised £10.0 billion through green gilts and green savings bonds. The government plans to issue a total of £10.0 billion of green finance in 2025-26, subject to demand and market conditions. The amount of Green Financing to be issued in each financial year will be announced by HM Treasury as part of the annual government financing remit.
The Green Financing Framework, published in 2021 and updated in 2025, explains how proceeds from green gilts and NS&I’s retail Green Savings Bonds will finance public expenditures that demonstrate a direct and positive environmental impact.
The Framework includes guidelines on the types of expenditures that can be included in the Programme and commits the government to annual allocation reporting. Eligible expenditures are drawn from departments’ confirmed Spending Review settlements and assessed on the basis of their contribution to the government’s climate and environmental objectives. Details of the allocation of expenditure are normally published each year in the Green Financing Allocation Report, most recently published in October2024.
Asked by: Callum Anderson (Labour - Buckingham and Bletchley)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of tourism’s contribution to Buckinghamshire's rural economy.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
DCMS recognises the vital contribution of tourism to rural economies across England, including in Buckinghamshire, home to historic and cultural attractions including Bletchley Park and Waddesdon Manor as well as family attractions such as Bekonscot Model Village & Railway.
The British Tourist Authority, which is an arms-length body of DCMS, provides research and insights on domestic and inbound tourism in the UK. Their data reveals that for inbound travel, Buckinghamshire welcomed 305.6K visitors and a spend of £140.2 million in 2024. For domestic visits, Buckinghamshire welcomed 1.2 million trips and a spend of £191 million in the 24 months up to September 2024.
DCMS also works with the British Tourist Authority to champion visits to the British countryside to a worldwide audience with the aim of ensuring that the economic benefits of tourism are felt by all regions and nations.
Asked by: Callum Anderson (Labour - Buckingham and Bletchley)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what mechanisms her Department plans to establish to co-ordinate Illicit Finance Summit outcomes with domestic enforcement agencies.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Foreign Secretary has announced plans to host a major Illicit Finance Summit on 23-24 June next year, which will bring together governments, civil society organisations, and private sector representatives to build an international coalition to tackle flows of dirty money around the world and strengthen the UK's national security. All further details such as the frameworks for monitoring commitments made at this summit, and coordination with domestic agencies on implementing the outcomes, will be set out in the usual way in due course.
Asked by: Callum Anderson (Labour - Buckingham and Bletchley)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether her Department intends to publish a framework for monitoring international commitments made at the Illicit Finance Summit.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Foreign Secretary has announced plans to host a major Illicit Finance Summit on 23-24 June next year, which will bring together governments, civil society organisations, and private sector representatives to build an international coalition to tackle flows of dirty money around the world and strengthen the UK's national security. All further details such as the frameworks for monitoring commitments made at this summit, and coordination with domestic agencies on implementing the outcomes, will be set out in the usual way 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, whether the Department has formal requirements for suppliers receiving support to report on waste-reduction outcomes.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
We are responding on the basis that this question relates to reporting under the Packaging Extended Producer Responsibility (pEPR) scheme and the Packaging Waste Recycling Note (PRN) system for domestic waste, and specifically on the support that obligated producers may receive in meeting the reporting requirements under these regulations.
Under the pEPR regulations, producers are required to report detailed data on the packaging they place on the UK market, including material types and tonnages. This reporting underpins the calculation of fees and recycling obligations (PRNs) and ensures that costs for household packaging waste management are recovered in line with the polluter pays principle. These obligations are designed to incentivise waste reduction by linking fees to recyclability and packaging weight, with modulation of fees from 2026 to further encourage sustainable packaging choices.
Similarly, the PRN system requires accredited reprocessors and exporters to issue evidence notes for packaging waste that has been recycled. These notes form part of the compliance mechanism for meeting recycling targets and provide transparency on the amount of packaging waste recovered and recycled within the UK.
Under the regulations, obligated producers may receive support from compliance schemes in meeting their reporting obligations and recycling targets. Regulation 43 of the Producer Responsibility Obligations (Packaging and Packaging Waste) Regulations 2024 specifies the obligations of compliance schemes, and Schedule 6 outlines the approvals framework ensuring schemes are able to provide guidance and assistance to producers. This ensures producers have access to help in fulfilling their legal responsibilities effectively.
Asked by: Callum Anderson (Labour - Buckingham and Bletchley)
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 energy-related cost pressures on low-income households in Buckingham and Bletchley constituency referenced in the Child Poverty Strategy.
Answered by Martin McCluskey - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Thanks to decisions in the Government's Autumn Budget, and as set out in the Child Poverty Strategy, the Government will deliver an average £150 of costs off household energy bills from April 2026. As a result of this action, people in Buckingham and Bletchley can expect to make a significant saving on their bills.
In addition, in 2024-2025, 3,489 households (7.8%) in Buckingham and Bletchley benefited from the Warm Home Discount - a £150 discount on their energy bill. This winter, we are expanding this discount so that around 6 million low-income households will receive this support, including an approximate additional 350,000 households in the South East region.
We will also be publishing a new fuel poverty strategy for England to ensure that many more fuel poor households are protected by 2030, in parallel to the Warm Homes Plan.
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, whether he has issued guidance on the processes for identifying firms in the Buckingham and Bletchley constituency eligible for scale-up support.
Answered by Blair McDougall - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
As announced in the Industrial Strategy and Plan for SMEs, DBT is developing a new scale-up offer to help firms with high growth potential start, scale and stay in the UK. I am aware of the work my Honourable Friend is doing to drive investment into Bletchley and the businesses in his constituency through the Bletchley Investment Taskforce. I hope working together, in partnership with the Buckinghamshire Business First and South Midlands Growth Hubs, we can do more to support economically important scale-ups in his constituency and across the UK.
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 number of small businesses in Buckingham and Bletchley constituency that will be eligible for the new cost-reduction support programmes announced in 2025 following the Willow Review.
Answered by Blair McDougall - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Government is committed to supporting businesses of all sizes in the transition to net zero. We are helping SMEs countrywide access sustainability benefits through initiatives such as the new Business Growth Service, the UK Business Climate Hub (UKBCH) for decarbonisation advice, and the rollout of smart meters. Additionally, the Made Smarter Adoption programme for manufacturing SMEs in the South East will double its budget from April to £3.1m, boosting productivity through digital adoption-focused skills and grants.
Following the Willow Review, £200,000 has been allocated to enhance UKBCH and integrate it with the Business Growth Service. The network of local Growth Hubs, including Buckinghamshire Business First, offer tailored support at any stage of a business's journey and can signpost to these new and improved offers.