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 role UK diplomatic posts in the Gulf region will play in monitoring and supporting implementation of the enhanced partnership with the United Arab Emirates on illicit finance.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK-UAE Partnership to Tackle Illicit Financial Flows, chaired by the Home Office, is a cross-governmental effort to strengthen operational cooperation and disrupt financial crime. A senior UAE delegation visited the UK on 2 and 3 September to advance this work. The Financial Action Task Force (FATF) sets and evaluates countries against global standards, which is a separate and technical process. Our bilateral engagement complements implementation of the FATF standards and supports international financial integrity.
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 assessment her Department has made of how the UK-UAE partnership on illicit finance will interact with multilateral initiatives such as the Financial Action Task Force.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK-UAE Partnership to Tackle Illicit Financial Flows, chaired by the Home Office, is a cross-governmental effort to strengthen operational cooperation and disrupt financial crime. A senior UAE delegation visited the UK on 2 and 3 September to advance this work. The Financial Action Task Force (FATF) sets and evaluates countries against global standards, which is a separate and technical process. Our bilateral engagement complements implementation of the FATF standards and supports international financial integrity.
Asked by: Callum Anderson (Labour - Buckingham and Bletchley)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps his Department is taking to support the development of local strategic delivery plans for early childhood outcomes under the Test, Learn and Grow programme in (a) Buckinghamshire and (b) Milton Keynes.
Answered by Josh Simons - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
The Test, Learn & Grow programme is modelling and scaling an approach to public service reform and mission delivery that closes gaps between policy, delivery and service users, and speeds up learning and improvement.
In July, the Programme announced the 10 places that it will be working with in England. These are: Barnsley, Wakefield, Manchester, Liverpool, Sandwell, Northumberland, Essex, Plymouth, Nottingham, and within London. Challenges the teams will look at will include increasing the uptake of Best Start Family Hubs to support parents and young children - and this is currently being scoped with input from the Department for Education, Cabinet Office and local partners.
The Programme is committed to spreading practice and insights to local authorities across the country and will ensure that this opportunity is available to Buckinghamshire and Milton Keynes.
Asked by: Callum Anderson (Labour - Buckingham and Bletchley)
Question
To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what discussions she has had with stakeholders on the potential impact of pay transparency requirements on workplace equality.
Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
As part of our ongoing commitment to advancing workplace equality, we launched a Call for Evidence on Equality Law, including questions on pay transparency. This will help us to better understand how increased transparency may impact women, ethnic minorities, disabled people, and other groups in the workplace.
We are now analysing responses to the Call for Evidence, which closed on 30 June, and will give careful consideration as to whether additional pay transparency measures would be proportionate and effective in improving pay equality in Great Britain.
We thank all respondents—individuals, employers, trade unions, and civil society—for their valuable input.
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 resources his Department has provided to facilitate the participation by GP practices in the Advice and Guidance scheme in Buckingham and Bletchley constituency since 1 April 2025.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Integrated care boards (ICBs) were instructed to invite all general practices to participate in the enhanced service specification for General Practice Requests for Advice and Guidance (A&G) 2025/26, which sees practices entitled to claim a £20 fee per request for pre-referral advice and guidance, no later than 13 May 2025. The Government has made £80 million available to fund up to four million A&G requests so general practitioners (GPs) can access advice ahead of making a referral, recognising the importance of their role in ensuring patient care takes place in the most appropriate setting.
NHS England has developed supporting resources to aid continued use of A&G, including a toolkit with guidance for GPs as well as for commissioners and secondary care clinical teams, and an operational delivery framework which sets a roadmap for ICBs to expand and improve their use of A&G across seven themes and with a set of minimum standards for best practice.
Asked by: Callum Anderson (Labour - Buckingham and Bletchley)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of allowing lenders to offer mortgages of over 4.5 times buyers’ income on the financial stability of mortgage lenders.
Answered by Lucy Rigby - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)
The loan-to-income (LTI) flow limit restricts the share of new mortgages that lenders can issue at or above 4.5 times a borrower’s income. It is set by the Bank of England’s Financial Policy Committee (FPC), which is responsible for identifying and addressing systemic risks to UK financial stability.
In July 2025, the FPC judged that the system-wide cap—limiting high-LTI mortgages to no more than 15 per cent of all new owner-occupier lending—continues to provide appropriate protection against the build up of unsustainable household debt which could pose risks to financial stability in an economic downturn.
However, to ensure the LTI flow limit is implemented proportionately and efficiently, the Committee recommended that the Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA) and the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) amend implementation of the flow limit to allow individual lenders to increase their share of high-LTI lending, provided the aggregate flow remains consistent with the 15 per cent limit. Details on this recommendation can be found in the FPC’s July Financial Stability Report.
The government supports the FPC’s changes, maintaining resilience of the financial system while supporting responsible access to home ownership.
Asked by: Callum Anderson (Labour - Buckingham and Bletchley)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate her Department has made of how many small businesses in the Buckingham and Bletchley constituency are losing all Small Business Rates Relief when opening their second premises.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
We are creating a fairer business rates system that protects the high street, supports investment, and is fit for the 21st century.
As set out at Autumn Budget 2024, the Government intends to introduce permanently lower tax rates for retail, hospitality, and leisure (RHL) properties with ratable values (RVs) below £500,000 from 2026-27. This permanent tax cut will ensure that RHL businesses benefit from much-needed certainty and support.
This tax cut must be sustainably funded, and so the Government intends to introduce a higher rate on the most valuable properties in 2026-27 - those with RVs of £500,000 and above. These represent less than one per cent of all properties, but cover the majority of large distribution warehouses, including those used by online giants.
The Government will confirm the rates for the new multipliers at Budget 2025, taking account of the outcomes of the 2026 revaluation as well as the broader economic and fiscal context. When the new multipliers are set at Budget 2025, HM Treasury intends to publish analysis of the effects of the new multiplier arrangements.
The Government does not hold data on how many businesses are eligible for Small Business Rates Relief (SBRR) in individual constituencies. It is worth noting that, if a business expands to a second property, it retains SBRR on the first property for 12 months, and may retain it longer if certain conditions are met.
The Transforming Business Rates: Interim Report published on 11 September sets out the Government’s next steps to deliver a fairer business rates system. This includes exploring a number of reforms to incentivise investment and improve the operation of the business rates system, including how SBRR could be enhanced to more effectively support investment and expansion among small businesses.
Asked by: Callum Anderson (Labour - Buckingham and Bletchley)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment her Department has made of the potential economic impact of proposed business rates reforms on the Buckingham and Bletchley constituency.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
We are creating a fairer business rates system that protects the high street, supports investment, and is fit for the 21st century.
As set out at Autumn Budget 2024, the Government intends to introduce permanently lower tax rates for retail, hospitality, and leisure (RHL) properties with ratable values (RVs) below £500,000 from 2026-27. This permanent tax cut will ensure that RHL businesses benefit from much-needed certainty and support.
This tax cut must be sustainably funded, and so the Government intends to introduce a higher rate on the most valuable properties in 2026-27 - those with RVs of £500,000 and above. These represent less than one per cent of all properties, but cover the majority of large distribution warehouses, including those used by online giants.
The Government will confirm the rates for the new multipliers at Budget 2025, taking account of the outcomes of the 2026 revaluation as well as the broader economic and fiscal context. When the new multipliers are set at Budget 2025, HM Treasury intends to publish analysis of the effects of the new multiplier arrangements.
The Government does not hold data on how many businesses are eligible for Small Business Rates Relief (SBRR) in individual constituencies. It is worth noting that, if a business expands to a second property, it retains SBRR on the first property for 12 months, and may retain it longer if certain conditions are met.
The Transforming Business Rates: Interim Report published on 11 September sets out the Government’s next steps to deliver a fairer business rates system. This includes exploring a number of reforms to incentivise investment and improve the operation of the business rates system, including how SBRR could be enhanced to more effectively support investment and expansion among small businesses.
Asked by: Callum Anderson (Labour - Buckingham and Bletchley)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps she is taking to ensure that new affordable housing built under the plan for 1.5 million homes will be accessible to first-time buyers whose deposit is less than 10 per cent.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The affordability challenges facing prospective first-time buyers mean that too many people are now locked out of homeownership.
In addition to increasing the supply of homes of all tenures, the government is supporting people into home ownership, including through the shared ownership scheme and the Lifetime ISA.
The government has also introduced a new, permanent Mortgage Guarantee Scheme, available to support and sustain availability of low deposit mortgage products for prospective buyers.
Additionally, the Bank of England is easing the loan-to-income limit, enabling up to 36,000 additional first-time buyers in the first year.
The Financial Conduct Authority’s (FCA) ongoing review of the mortgage market means many buyers can now borrow 10% more towards a property purchase. The government looks forward to ambitious proposals from the FCA’s paper.
First-time buyers may also benefit from home ownership initiatives offered at the local level.
Asked by: Callum Anderson (Labour - Buckingham and Bletchley)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many small and medium-sized enterprises in (a) the UK and (b) Buckingham and Bletchley constituency have exported to China in the last three years.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
HMRC releases information as Official Statistics called the Trade in Goods by Business Characteristics, which is available via gov.uk. (www.uktradeinfo.com).
Trade in Goods by Business Characteristics includes exports to certain pre-selected Partner Countries that includes China. This data includes exports by Business Size (Number of employees) broken down by the following categories: 0; 1 to 9; 10 to 49; 50 to 249; 250+; Unknown. The user will be able to work out SME by aggregating the first four categories in this list.
Links to the relevant releases for 2021, 2022, and 2023 are below (see tab “2. Business Size” on each release):
The release for 2024 data will be published on 27 November 2025.
The breakdown by Business Size (Number of Employees) is not available for areas smaller than UK as a whole.