Asked by: Nick Timothy (Conservative - West Suffolk)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what has been the market share of (a) private equity firms, and (b) sovereign wealth funds in the additional needs sector in each year since 2020.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
Based on publicly available information, we understand that approximately 300 independent special schools (34% of the sector), educating around 14,000 pupils, are owned by fifteen private equity funds, including sovereign wealth funds (SWF). Within these 300 schools, two sovereign wealth funds, Abu Dhabi and Qatar, own 42 schools (5% of the total market). The Qatar Investment Authority acquired Senad Group in 2008, while Mubadala Capital (part of the Abu Dhabi SWF) acquired Witherslack Group from a UK private equity firm in 2021. SWF owned six independent special schools in 2020, increasing to the current level in 2021.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Conservative - Romford)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps her Department has taken to help prevent British newspapers from being subject to foreign influence.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
This Government is committed to a pluralistic media landscape, and it is vital that the UK has in place strong measures to protect this. The Foreign State Influence (FSI) media merger regime is a key part of this; it prevents foreign states from being able - directly or indirectly - to control or influence the policy of UK newspapers and news periodicals.
In July 2025, DCMS passed targeted exceptions to the initial FSI newspapers regime, to allow certain state-owned investment funds - such as sovereign wealth funds or pension funds - to invest up to 15% in UK newspapers and news periodicals.
The 15% threshold is below the level which the Competition and Markets Authority considers to typically give rise to material influence when assessing jurisdiction under the Enterprise Act 2002. This approach will still limit any scope for foreign state control or influence of news organisations while giving them much-needed flexibility to seek business investment that supports their long-term sustainability.
In October 2025, DCMS laid before Parliament further changes to the Enterprise Act, proposing to apply a 15% cap on aggregate holdings of shares or voting rights in a newspaper owner by SOIs acting on behalf of foreign powers of different countries. It also introduces a requirement for SOIs acquiring more than 5% of shares or voting rights in a UK newspaper owner directly to give the Secretary of State a qualifying notification within 14 days of the acquisition being made, and publish appropriate details of that notification within the same timeframe. These Regulations will be debated when Parliamentary time allows, and subject to Parliamentary approval will come into force 31st January 2026.
Asked by: Callum Anderson (Labour - Buckingham and Bletchley)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether her Department has identified priority regions for investment arising from recent Gulf trade agreements.
Answered by Lucy Rigby - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Chancellor is committed to building strong relationships with Gulf countries and Sovereign Wealth Funds, as reflected in her attendance of the Future Investment Initiative Conference in Saudi Arabia. She engaged with key partners to explore opportunities that could benefit regions across the UK and progress negotiations on a free trade agreement with the Gulf Cooperation Council. The visit also helped unlock £6.4bn in two-way trade and investment between the UK and Saudi Arabia, including a £5bn MoU between UK Export Finance and the Saudi Public Investment Fund to support jobs and manufacturing across the UK.
Attracting investment into every region of the UK is central to this government’s mission to drive national growth. Partnering with the private sector is essential and is why at the Regional Investment Summit last month the Chancellor announced the creation of the Sterling 20. The new grouping of institutional investors will further support mobilising institutional investment by raising awareness among investors of government-led programmes and initiatives. This will allow members to help shape and co-design investment opportunities, so they are attractive, unlocking capital for UK infrastructure throughout the UK.
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 role of UK sovereign investment vehicles in facilitating co-investment opportunities with Gulf partners.
Answered by Lucy Rigby - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Chancellor is committed to building strong relationships with Gulf countries and Sovereign Wealth Funds, as reflected in her attendance of the Future Investment Initiative Conference in Saudi Arabia. She engaged with key partners to explore opportunities that could benefit regions across the UK and progress negotiations on a free trade agreement with the Gulf Cooperation Council. The visit also helped unlock £6.4bn in two-way trade and investment between the UK and Saudi Arabia, including a £5bn MoU between UK Export Finance and the Saudi Public Investment Fund to support jobs and manufacturing across the UK.
Attracting investment into every region of the UK is central to this government’s mission to drive national growth. Partnering with the private sector is essential and is why at the Regional Investment Summit last month the Chancellor announced the creation of the Sterling 20. The new grouping of institutional investors will further support mobilising institutional investment by raising awareness among investors of government-led programmes and initiatives. This will allow members to help shape and co-design investment opportunities, so they are attractive, unlocking capital for UK infrastructure throughout 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 steps his Department is taking to ensure that the UK’s investment screening regime supports responsible sovereign wealth fund investment.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The UK has close investment relationships with many of the world’s sovereign wealth funds, supporting mutually beneficial, strategic investment into the UK.
The National Security and Investment Act (NSIA) 2021 gives the UK Government the power to scrutinise and, where necessary, intervene in a transaction that is captured by the act regardless of the acquirer. Every NSIA transaction is taken on its own merit, on a case-by-case basis.
The legislation enables investment into sensitive sectors of our economy while providing robust protections to ensure the UK’s national security is not compromised.
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 his Department has undertaken analysis of barriers to inward investment from sovereign wealth funds into UK (a) infrastructure and (b) growth sectors.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
This government maintains strong relationships with leading sovereign wealth funds, engaging in regular dialogue to understand barriers they face when investing in UK infrastructure and growth sectors. The UK's 10 Year Strategy Infrastructure aims to restore confidence and drive growth with £725 billion for infrastructure, transforming project delivery. The Industrial Strategy White Paper identified key investment barriers including planning delays, infrastructure gaps, regulatory burdens, and skills shortages. Government reforms to address these barriers include the Strategic Sites Accelerator, regulatory innovation, planning improvements, and targeted support for industrial clusters and skills development.
Asked by: Callum Anderson (Labour - Buckingham and Bletchley)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of sovereign wealth fund partnerships on UK regional growth priorities.
Answered by Lucy Rigby - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)
Increasing economic growth is a strong priority of this Government and ensuring growth is felt in all regions of the UK is a core part of the Growth Mission. The Government recognises the important role that sovereign wealth fund partnerships can play in supporting this mission.This Government has expanded the Office for Investment (OfI) including pursuing deeper investment collaboration with global sovereign wealth funds (SWFs) in support of our first Modern Industrial Strategy. The OfI manages multi-billion-pound Sovereign and Strategic Investment Partnerships with SWFs and provides a channel for collaboration. The OfI has already facilitated over £30bn in commitments and approximately £20bn in capital deployed from these partners, contributing to growth and prosperity across the country.
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 assessment he has made of the potential contribution of foreign sovereign wealth funds to the Government’s strategy for attracting long-term investment into the UK economy.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Government recognises the important role that foreign sovereign wealth funds play in supporting long-term investment in the UK. The UK continues to attract significant investment from sovereign wealth funds, including through strategic partnerships with funds from the Gulf region. This includes a recent £2 billion investment partnership with Bahrain to support sectors such as clean energy, technology, and manufacturing. This investment contributes to economic growth, job creation, and the development of key infrastructure across the country.
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 steps his Department is taking to strengthen the UK’s institutional relationships with major global sovereign wealth funds.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
This government expanded the Office for Investment (OfI) including pursuing deeper investment collaboration with global sovereign wealth funds (SWFs) in support of our first Modern Industrial Strategy.
The OfI manages multi-billion-pound Sovereign and Strategic Investment Partnerships with SWFs and provides a channel for collaboration. The OfI has already facilitated multi-billion-pounds in commitments and multi-billion-pounds in capital deployed from these partners, contributing to growth and prosperity across the country.
This effort continues; The Government is sending a senior delegation to the Future Investment Initiative in Saudi Arabia later this month to strengthen ties further with Saudi and global SWFs.
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 plans his Department has to expand the UK’s investment promotion activities targeted at sovereign wealth funds.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
As part of the 10 Year Infrastructure Strategy, the government announced the creation of the Strategic Investment Opportunities Unit to shape and unlock investment opportunities for strategic investment. This includes originating new investment opportunities that can leverage private capital, including Sovereign Wealth Funds, and deliver government objectives, including to meet the UK’s infrastructure needs, and deliver our Industrial Strategy across the UK. This follows the OfI’s expansion last year, to strengthen our footing globally with the deepest pools of capital.