Written questions by Anderson.

Food and Rural Affairs, what monitoring arrangements will her Department put in place to ensure that environmental protections in Buckinghamshire are maintained following the introduction of the new permitting exemptions.

Proposed changes to environmental permitting will make controls more proportionate for certain low-risk preparatory work associated with house building and other developments. The Environment Agency (EA) will be able to create new exemptions from environmental permitting subject to consulting on exemption conditions and providing a risk assessment. The EA will monitor use of the new exemptions and have power to amend or revoke new or current exemptions, with consultation, where necessary to protect the environment. We anticipate that housing developments and similar projects will benefit from streamlined processes for low-risk construction activities, including certain earthworks (e.g. creating bunds and landscaping to shield the building site) and placement of materials near to watercourses. However, the EA will only be permitted to introduce new exemptions where robust safeguards are in place to maintain essential protections for the environment and local communities. Local authorities will have the opportunity to engage in consultations on specific proposals when the EA exercises its new powers. Officials at Defra have worked closely with the EA to develop these proposals and will continue to collaborate to support effective implementation.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to measure the environmental impact delivered by extended Countryside Stewardship agreements in Buckinghamshire.

The targeted, time-limited extension of Countryside Stewardship Mid Tier is being offered to ensure farmers have the support they need to continue their vital activities to restore nature and produce food sustainably. This includes environmental work such as planting wildflower margins that boost pollinators and managing hedgerows to create vital habitats for birds and small mammals, alongside sustainable food production.

Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions she has had with (i) Buckinghamshire Council and (ii) the Environment Agency regarding the implementation of the proposed common-sense approach to environmental regulation.

Proposed changes to environmental permitting will make controls more proportionate for certain low-risk preparatory work associated with house building and other developments. The Environment Agency (EA) will be able to create new exemptions from environmental permitting subject to consulting on exemption conditions and providing a risk assessment. The EA will monitor use of the new exemptions and have power to amend or revoke new or current exemptions, with consultation, where necessary to protect the environment. We anticipate that housing developments and similar projects will benefit from streamlined processes for low-risk construction activities, including certain earthworks (e.g. creating bunds and landscaping to shield the building site) and placement of materials near to watercourses. However, the EA will only be permitted to introduce new exemptions where robust safeguards are in place to maintain essential protections for the environment and local communities. Local authorities will have the opportunity to engage in consultations on specific proposals when the EA exercises its new powers. Officials at Defra have worked closely with the EA to develop these proposals and will continue to collaborate to support effective implementation.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the proposed changes to environmental permitting on the delivery of new homes in Buckinghamshire.

Proposed changes to environmental permitting will make controls more proportionate for certain low-risk preparatory work associated with house building and other developments. The Environment Agency (EA) will be able to create new exemptions from environmental permitting subject to consulting on exemption conditions and providing a risk assessment. The EA will monitor use of the new exemptions and have power to amend or revoke new or current exemptions, with consultation, where necessary to protect the environment. We anticipate that housing developments and similar projects will benefit from streamlined processes for low-risk construction activities, including certain earthworks (e.g. creating bunds and landscaping to shield the building site) and placement of materials near to watercourses. However, the EA will only be permitted to introduce new exemptions where robust safeguards are in place to maintain essential protections for the environment and local communities. Local authorities will have the opportunity to engage in consultations on specific proposals when the EA exercises its new powers. Officials at Defra have worked closely with the EA to develop these proposals and will continue to collaborate to support effective implementation.

Food and Rural Affairs, how many housing developments in Buckinghamshire are expected to benefit from reduced permitting times as a result of the new exempt-low-risk-activity provisions.

Proposed changes to environmental permitting will make controls more proportionate for certain low-risk preparatory work associated with house building and other developments. The Environment Agency (EA) will be able to create new exemptions from environmental permitting subject to consulting on exemption conditions and providing a risk assessment. The EA will monitor use of the new exemptions and have power to amend or revoke new or current exemptions, with consultation, where necessary to protect the environment. We anticipate that housing developments and similar projects will benefit from streamlined processes for low-risk construction activities, including certain earthworks (e.g. creating bunds and landscaping to shield the building site) and placement of materials near to watercourses. However, the EA will only be permitted to introduce new exemptions where robust safeguards are in place to maintain essential protections for the environment and local communities. Local authorities will have the opportunity to engage in consultations on specific proposals when the EA exercises its new powers. Officials at Defra have worked closely with the EA to develop these proposals and will continue to collaborate to support effective implementation.

Food and Rural Affairs, what engagement her Department has had with (a) farming and (b) land management representatives in Buckinghamshire on the future of (i) Countryside Stewardship and (ii) related environmental land management schemes.

This Government actively engages with representatives from the farming industry through regular meetings and discussions, ensuring we listen to their views, understand their concerns, and take their feedback into account.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department plans to take to ensure that farmers in Buckinghamshire can transition smoothly from Countryside Stewardship to the Sustainable Farming Incentive scheme.

On the 15 October 2025 we announced a one-year extension to more than 5,000 farmers with Countryside Stewardship Mid-Tier agreements expiring on 31 December this year. This targeted, time-limited extension is being offered whilst we develop the reformed Sustainable Farming Incentive for 2026, refresh the Environmental Improvement Plan and administer the new Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier. We will publish the 2026 information on the Sustainable Farming Incentive in due course.

What performance metrics she has set for the Scale-up Unit in relation to regulatory case resolution times for supported firms.

The Scale-up Unit is a joint initiative by the Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA) and the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) to enhance engagement with fast-growing, innovative firms. It builds on existing regulatory support for early-stage innovative firms, including through the joint PRA and FCA New Bank and Insurer Start-up Units, to support firms as they seek to scale-up. The FCA and PRA will conduct further industry-wide engagement to gather input which will help shape the future direction of the Unit. Sir Ron Kalifa, in his 2021 Review of Fintech, identified a UK Fintech scale-up funding gap of £2 billion. The Financial Services Growth and Competitiveness Strategy set out measures to tackle this gap, including the launch of this Scale-Up Unit, and work led by the City of London Corporation and British Business Bank to facilitate greater access to finance and commercial opportunities for fast-growing Fintech firms.

How many innovative financial services firms are expected to access support from the Scale-up Unit in its first year of operation.

The Scale-up Unit is a joint initiative by the Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA) and the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) to enhance engagement with fast-growing, innovative firms. It builds on existing regulatory support for early-stage innovative firms, including through the joint PRA and FCA New Bank and Insurer Start-up Units, to support firms as they seek to scale-up. The FCA and PRA will conduct further industry-wide engagement to gather input which will help shape the future direction of the Unit. Sir Ron Kalifa, in his 2021 Review of Fintech, identified a UK Fintech scale-up funding gap of £2 billion. The Financial Services Growth and Competitiveness Strategy set out measures to tackle this gap, including the launch of this Scale-Up Unit, and work led by the City of London Corporation and British Business Bank to facilitate greater access to finance and commercial opportunities for fast-growing Fintech firms.

What estimate her Department has made of the size of the UK FinTech scale-up funding gap.

The Scale-up Unit is a joint initiative by the Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA) and the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) to enhance engagement with fast-growing, innovative firms. It builds on existing regulatory support for early-stage innovative firms, including through the joint PRA and FCA New Bank and Insurer Start-up Units, to support firms as they seek to scale-up. The FCA and PRA will conduct further industry-wide engagement to gather input which will help shape the future direction of the Unit. Sir Ron Kalifa, in his 2021 Review of Fintech, identified a UK Fintech scale-up funding gap of £2 billion. The Financial Services Growth and Competitiveness Strategy set out measures to tackle this gap, including the launch of this Scale-Up Unit, and work led by the City of London Corporation and British Business Bank to facilitate greater access to finance and commercial opportunities for fast-growing Fintech firms.

Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate she has made of the additional hectares of farmland in Buckinghamshire that will remain under agri-environment schemes as a result of the extension to Countryside Stewardship.

There are 6474 hectares of farmland in Countryside Stewardship Mid-Tier agreements in Buckinghamshire which are due to expire on 31 December 2025. The majority of these will be offered a one-year extension.

What steps his Department is taking to (a) monitor and (b) evaluate how the target of 80 percent employment will be supported via the co-ordination of (i) employment support and (ii) skills services.

Our Get Britain Working strategy set out plans to increase participation and progression in the workforce by transforming Jobcentre Plus into the Jobs & Careers Service, introducing a new Youth Guarantee, and increasing activity to tackle health and disability related inactivity, including through the new Pathways to Work guarantee set out in the March Green Paper.Coordination of employment support and skills services is key to delivering these plans and meeting the Government’s long-term ambition of an 80% employment rate. The Get Britain Working White Paper set the blueprint for joined up work, health and skills services to tackle inactivity at a local level and built on national models such as the Sector Based Work Academy Programmes, which help employers with their workforce needs by upskilling benefit claimants to fill local job vacancies, and Skills Bootcamps for sector-specific training.We have published our Post-16 Education and Skills White Paper which includes plans to address priority skills gaps and reduce the number of young people not in education, employment or training through joined up employment and skills support. We have also brought adult skills into the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) to maximise the opportunities of aligning employment and skills support, with the Minister for Skills retaining oversight of skills across DWP and DfE.We will report on our progress towards reaching our 80% employment rate ambition through a range of metrics annually. Our first report was released in April 2025 with the first update planned for next year. We will measure our success through the following metrics:Regional employment rateHealth-related inactivityDisability employment rate gapFemale employment rateParental employmentDWP published its Evidence and Evaluation Strategy in July 2025 Evidence and Evaluation Strategy 2025 - GOV.UK', with Goal 1 covering how DWP will evaluate its labour market agenda. The strategy details both current and planned research and evaluation activities.

Food and Rural Affairs, how many Countryside Stewardship agreements currently in place in Buckinghamshire are eligible for the one-year extension announced in October 2025.

There are 6474 hectares of farmland in Countryside Stewardship Mid-Tier agreements in Buckinghamshire which are due to expire on 31 December 2025. The majority of these will be offered a one-year extension.

How much funding under the reading initiative has been allocated for teacher training in (a) Milton Keynes and (b) Buckinghamshire.

The government has committed £27.7 million to support and drive high and rising standards in reading in the 2025/26 financial year. This funding will deliver a range of support for schools, including new training for primary schools, delivered through the 34 English Hubs, to help children progress from the early stages of phonics through to reading fluently by the time they leave primary school; and new support and training for secondary schools to support reading at key stage 3.Milton Keynes is served by Whiteknights English Hub. The department does not provide specific funding to local authorities under the English Hubs programme.

What proportion of the British Business Bank’s annual investment capacity has been earmarked for deployment in under-served (a) regions and (b) nations of the UK.

The British Business Bank invests flexibly, allowing it to react to changing market conditions. Most investment decisions are taken by the managers of funds in which the Bank has invested. For these reasons, investment is not generally earmarked in advance for specific nations and regions of the United Kingdom.The £1.6 billion Nations and Regions Investment Funds are the exception. They currently provide debt and equity finance to businesses in three regions of England and in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Two new funds, covering South and East England, will launch in April 2026.

Whether his Department has set a quantitative target for annual increases in private capital crowd-in by the British Business Bank over the next five years.

No. Setting a quantitative target for annual increases in private capital crowd-in by the British Business Bank could incentivise a shift towards less risky investments, which are more likely to attract private capital. This would be contrary to the Bank’s purpose of addressing market gaps and under-served regions and entrepreneurs.The amount of private capital crowded-in is reported in the Bank’s Impact Report, published annually. The most recent report shows that in the year to 3 March 2025 the Bank deployed £1.2 billion of public finance and crowded-in a further £3.0 billion, a ratio of 2.5 to one.

What performance indicators his Department uses to measure the extent to which the British Business Bank has reduced the scale-up financing gap of R&D intensive companies.

The indicator used to assess the financing gap is venture capital (VC) investment as a proportion of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in the UK as compared to the US, measured over 3 years. This gap (across all sectors) has narrowed from 30% greater investment in the US in 2019-2021 to 10% for 2022-2024.The British Business Bank’s Small Business Equity Tracker report 2025 notes that the gap for R&D intensive sectors is wider. VC investment in these industries represented 0.25% of GDP in the UK during 2022-2024 against 0.31% in the US, equivalent to a gap of 30%.Between 2022 and 2024, 49% of Bank-supported deals were in the tech sector, compared to 42% of deals across the overall market.

Communities and Local Government, what his planned timeline is for implementing the proposed reforms to restore access for councillors and extend access to mayors under the Local Government Pension Scheme.

Subject to consultation responses, the government intends to implement the proposals from the start of the 2026-27 financial year.

What criteria his Department is applying to select rural pub diversification projects for the funding scheme.

Government recognises the important role rural pubs and those in deprived areas can play in supporting their communities and the work of Pub Is The Hub in helping them improve their resilience by providing additional community services.That is why the Government has provided £440,000 to help Pub Is The Hub continue this important work. In its 2025 report: PiTH-Social-Value-of-Pubsfinal.pdf, Pub Is The Hub highlighted over 40 diversification projects that could not be delivered due to a lack of funding. Pub Is The Hub operates across the UK and applications for funding are assessed using its criteria.

What assessment his Department has made of the potential for the recently announced funding for rural village pubs to support broader community-services provision in Buckingham and Bletchley constituency.

Government recognises the important role rural pubs and those in deprived areas can play in supporting their communities and the work of Pub Is The Hub in helping them improve their resilience by providing additional community services.That is why the Government has provided £440,000 to help Pub Is The Hub continue this important work. In its 2025 report: PiTH-Social-Value-of-Pubsfinal.pdf, Pub Is The Hub highlighted over 40 diversification projects that could not be delivered due to a lack of funding. Pub Is The Hub operates across the UK and applications for funding are assessed using its criteria.