Written questions by Anderson.

What assessment his Department has made of the resilience of energy storage infrastructure co-located with solar energy developments in Buckinghamshire.

The Department has made no specific assessment on this. We have outlined our plans for the deployment of battery storage in the Clean Power 2030 Action Plan and will work with industry, NESO and Ofgem to build on those actions through the Low Carbon Flexibility Roadmap announced in the Clean Power Action Plan. This will include actions to enable the deployment of batteries, on their own and co-located with generation.

What assessment she has made of the regulatory impact of integrating nature-related financial risks into mandatory financial disclosure requirements.

The government welcomes the continued progress on developing sustainability standards by the International Sustainability Standards Board (ISSB), and welcomes the ISSB’s ongoing research on biodiversity, ecosystems and ecosystem services. On 25th June 2025, the government published its consultation on the draft UK-endorsed standards, which will be known as UK Sustainability Reporting Standards (UK SRS) and are based on the ISSB standards. The UK government is supportive of companies building their capacity on nature through the UK Consultation Group of the Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosures (TNFD).

What plans she has to evaluate the impact of sustainable finance policies on the distribution of capital flows across UK regions.

As outlined in the Financial Services Growth & Competitiveness Strategy, the government is taking steps to maintain the UK’s international leadership in sustainable finance. While the government has not made a specific evaluation on the impact of sustainable finance policies on the distribution of capital flows across UK regions, we expect our approach to sustainable finance to increase capital flows in the UK and maintain our position as the leading sustainable finance hub. As set out in the Clean Energies Sector Plan, the government is committed to spreading investment in clean energy in clusters across the UK's nations and regions. In October 2024, the Chancellor also launched the National Wealth Fund (NWF) with £27.8 billion of capital to catalyse and mobilise additional private investment across the UK. The NWF is uniquely positioned to support regional and local strategies with commercial and financial advisory and lending support throughout the investment cycle to deliver on local priorities, supporting them with early-stage project development.

What recent estimate her Department has made of the availability of childcare places for children under two years of age in (a) Buckinghamshire and (b) Milton Keynes.

Local authorities are legally responsible for securing sufficient childcare to meet the needs of parents in their area, under Section 6 of the Childcare Act 2006. The Early Education and Childcare Statutory Guidance (Part B) further requires them to report annually to elected council members on how they are meeting this duty and to make these reports accessible to parents.The department provides local authorities with a range of tools and data to complement local assessments and help them plan strategically for sufficiency. This includes:National-level modelling of childcare usage and workforce needs, using data from Ofsted-registered providers and national surveys.Estimates of future demand, including the impact of population growth and housing development.Indicative forecasts of the number of places and staff required to meet the expanded entitlements rolling out through to September 2025.There are over 5,800 more providers delivering childcare entitlements than last year, the first increase in five years, and the biggest increase since data became available in 2018. This comes alongside an 18,000 increase in the number of staff delivering the entitlements in private, voluntary and independent providers. This is backed by significant government investment totalling over £8 billion for early years entitlements in 2025/26.

What assessment she has made of the capacity of childcare providers in (a) Buckinghamshire and (b) Milton Keynes to meet demand for free childcare from September 2025.

Local authorities are legally responsible for securing sufficient childcare to meet the needs of parents in their area, under Section 6 of the Childcare Act 2006. The Early Education and Childcare Statutory Guidance (Part B) further requires them to report annually to elected council members on how they are meeting this duty and to make these reports accessible to parents.The department provides local authorities with a range of tools and data to complement local assessments and help them plan strategically for sufficiency. This includes:National-level modelling of childcare usage and workforce needs, using data from Ofsted-registered providers and national surveys.Estimates of future demand, including the impact of population growth and housing development.Indicative forecasts of the number of places and staff required to meet the expanded entitlements rolling out through to September 2025.There are over 5,800 more providers delivering childcare entitlements than last year, the first increase in five years, and the biggest increase since data became available in 2018. This comes alongside an 18,000 increase in the number of staff delivering the entitlements in private, voluntary and independent providers. This is backed by significant government investment totalling over £8 billion for early years entitlements in 2025/26.

What plans her Department has to (a) pilot and (b) test Best Start digital services in (i) Buckinghamshire and (ii) Milton Keynes.

The department will launch a new Best Start in Life campaign in autumn which will guide parents, from pregnancy through their child's journey to starting school and beyond. It will be followed by a new Best Start digital parenting hub. Discussions around design and timelines for launch are ongoing. We are committed to ensuring it meets parents' needs and will share further updates as the work progresses.We expect neighbourhood teams and services to be designed in a way that reflects the specific needs of local populations. Through local commissioning, we will ensure that Neighbourhood Health Services work in partnership with family hubs, schools, nurseries, childminders and colleges, ensuring support for young children’s health and development is available and accessible in communities.

What mechanisms are in place to ensure the alignment of Best Start Family Hubs with the rollout of Neighbourhood Health Services in (a) Buckinghamshire and (b) Milton Keynes.

The department will launch a new Best Start in Life campaign in autumn which will guide parents, from pregnancy through their child's journey to starting school and beyond. It will be followed by a new Best Start digital parenting hub. Discussions around design and timelines for launch are ongoing. We are committed to ensuring it meets parents' needs and will share further updates as the work progresses.We expect neighbourhood teams and services to be designed in a way that reflects the specific needs of local populations. Through local commissioning, we will ensure that Neighbourhood Health Services work in partnership with family hubs, schools, nurseries, childminders and colleges, ensuring support for young children’s health and development is available and accessible in communities.

Media and Sport, what recent discussions her Department has had with major UK-based foundations on aligning private giving with national social impact priorities.

This government is committed to putting local people, communities and places first, supporting philanthropic growth across the country is an important route to mobilise more private capital to deliver public good.In partnership with the Chief Secretary of the Treasury, DCMS’ Secretary of State, established the Social Impact Investment Advisory Group earlier this year to advise on how impact capital, including philanthropy, can support the national missions. The group brings together government, socially motivated investors, representatives from civil society and social investment and philanthropy experts. Major UK-based foundations are represented on both the Advisory Group and its working groups.

What recent discussions her Department has had with (a) Buckinghamshire Council and (b) Milton Keynes City Council on the use of data sharing improvements set out in the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill.

The department has not held formal bilateral discussions with Buckinghamshire Council or Milton Keynes City Council specifically on the data sharing provisions in the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill. However, all local authorities as well as multi-agency practitioners, were invited to national webinars held in June and July this year which engaged over 400 practitioners. The department will continue to engage with the sector throughout the implementation of these measures to ensure local perspectives are reflected.

What criteria her Department plans to use for determining the future scalability of the Digital Gilt Instrument issuance model beyond the pilot phase.

At Mansion House the government set out an update on the DIGIT pilot, outlining a range of ambitious design features the government intends to take forward and encourage as a part of the DIGIT pilot. These design features include testing on-chain settlement, supporting interoperability, delivering greater transparency, and working with the sector to encourage the future development of secondary markets and solutions to enable collateral mobility. These features reflect feedback from stakeholders, including across the financial services sector, received as part of the government’s market engagement exercise that closed in April 2025. The government is committed to ongoing work with the sector to ensure the success of the DIGIT pilot both in terms of the issuance itself and its wider impact. The priority at this stage is delivering the pilot and no decisions have been made on further issuances. As the government has set out previously, the pilot DIGIT issuance will be separate from our standard debt issuance programme.

What analysis her Department has conducted on the interoperability of the UK’s digital sovereign debt framework with digital securities infrastructure developed by other G7 countries.

At Mansion House the government set out an update on the DIGIT pilot, outlining a range of ambitious design features the government intends to take forward and encourage as a part of the DIGIT pilot. These design features include testing on-chain settlement, supporting interoperability, delivering greater transparency, and working with the sector to encourage the future development of secondary markets and solutions to enable collateral mobility. These features reflect feedback from stakeholders, including across the financial services sector, received as part of the government’s market engagement exercise that closed in April 2025. The government is committed to ongoing work with the sector to ensure the success of the DIGIT pilot both in terms of the issuance itself and its wider impact. The priority at this stage is delivering the pilot and no decisions have been made on further issuances. As the government has set out previously, the pilot DIGIT issuance will be separate from our standard debt issuance programme.

What steps his Department is taking to provide up-to-date guidance on cumulative impact assessment for solar infrastructure to Buckinghamshire Council.

Planning guidance already sets out how decision-makers should consider cumulative impacts where a number of solar projects are deployed in close proximity, and is clear that projects are designed to avoid, mitigate and where necessary compensate for this. Solar farms can usually be easily screened by hedges and other vegetation, and visual impact is carefully considered during the planning process.

What steps his Department has taken to track the proportion of solar developments in Buckinghamshire that incorporate biodiversity net gain requirements.

Biodiversity net gain is a legal requirement under the Environment Act 2021. This means that, to acquire planning permission, biodiversity must increase by 10% compared to previous levels. This is currently only the case for projects being decided in the local planning system. Defra is consulting on mandatory biodiversity net gain for Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects (NSIPs) and any changes in policy will be reflected in future updates to the National Policy Statements.

What estimate her Department has made of the proportion of early years settings in (i) Buckinghamshire and (ii) Milton Keynes currently employing at least one early years teacher.

The early years census workforce data provides responses from private, voluntary and independent early years providers delivering funded entitlements to children aged 2 to 4 years of age. Staff holding Early Years Teacher Status, Early Years Professional Status and Qualified Teacher Status are amalgamated as accredited graduate staff members in this dataset. The department does not hold data on the proportion of early years teachers in these areas in other types of early years settings such as school-based nurseries and childminders.In 2024, 109 providers in Buckinghamshire (29%) and 7 providers in Milton Keynes (4%), delivering 15-hour entitlement, employed at least one accredited graduate staff member.In 2024, 97 providers in Buckinghamshire (28%) and 6 providers in Milton Keynes (4%), delivering 30-hour entitlement, employed at least one accredited graduate staff member.

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of the Digital Gilt Instrument issuance on the operational framework of the UK Debt Management Office.

At Mansion House the government set out an update on the DIGIT pilot, outlining a range of ambitious design features the government intends to take forward and encourage as a part of the DIGIT pilot. These design features include testing on-chain settlement, supporting interoperability, delivering greater transparency, and working with the sector to encourage the future development of secondary markets and solutions to enable collateral mobility. These features reflect feedback from stakeholders, including across the financial services sector, received as part of the government’s market engagement exercise that closed in April 2025. The government is committed to ongoing work with the sector to ensure the success of the DIGIT pilot both in terms of the issuance itself and its wider impact. The priority at this stage is delivering the pilot and no decisions have been made on further issuances. As the government has set out previously, the pilot DIGIT issuance will be separate from our standard debt issuance programme.

What support her Department is providing to help ensure early years providers are included in the Stronger Practice Hubs expansion programme in (a) Buckinghamshire and (b) Milton Keynes.

As part of the ‘Giving every child the best start in life’ strategy, the department is doubling the number of Stronger Practice Hubs from 18 to 36, securing their future for a further three years, and funding partnerships between nurseries and schools to share evidence-based practice and strengthen links across settings, helping more children have a smooth transition into reception. Nearly 10,000 settings are part of Hub networks as of March 2025, including 72 settings in Buckinghamshire and 13 in Milton Keynes. Support for this region is provided by the Thames Valley and South Central Early Years Stronger Practice Hub based at Blagdon Nursery School, Reading. Contextual information based on geography, provider type and deprivation ranking were considered to ensure an even spread of Stronger Practice Hubs across the country of different provider types and location. We anticipate similar factors to be considered in the expansion of the Stronger Practice Hub programme across all regions, including the South East region, which Buckinghamshire and Milton Keynes sit within.

What steps his Department is taking to monitor the effectiveness of local authority engagement strategies with residents during the planning of solar developments in Buckinghamshire.

The Government does not set out or monitor how individual local authorities, including Buckinghamshire, engage residents in the planning of solar developments, in recognition of their autonomy and flexibility to deliver net zero according to each local area’s varying needs and opportunities. Nationally, Government engages with the public on solar and other low carbon technologies in the Public Attitudes Tracker, a triannual household survey tracking public awareness and attitudes relating to the Department’s policy areas. The Government is working with GBE to develop the Local Power Plan, to turbocharge the UK’s local and community energy sector. Charles Warren Academy in Milton Keynes was one of the first schools to receive solar panels funded by GBE alongside the Department for Education.

What steps his Department is taking with distribution network operators to help reduce grid connection delays for solar projects proposed in Buckinghamshire.

We are working closely with Ofgem and the network companies to develop and deliver fundamental reform of the grid connections process. National Energy System Operator’s proposals for connections reform were approved by Ofgem on 15 April. These reforms will release up to 500GW of capacity from the oversubscribed connections queue. This will enable accelerated connections, including for solar projects in Buckinghamshire connecting at both transmission and distribution level, where they are ready and aligned with our strategic needs, as set out in the Clean Power 2030 Action Plan.

What discussions her Department has had with institutional investors on (a) settlement risk and (b) custodianship models for digital sovereign debt instruments.

At Mansion House the government set out an update on the DIGIT pilot, outlining a range of ambitious design features the government intends to take forward and encourage as a part of the DIGIT pilot. These design features include testing on-chain settlement, supporting interoperability, delivering greater transparency, and working with the sector to encourage the future development of secondary markets and solutions to enable collateral mobility. These features reflect feedback from stakeholders, including across the financial services sector, received as part of the government’s market engagement exercise that closed in April 2025. The government is committed to ongoing work with the sector to ensure the success of the DIGIT pilot both in terms of the issuance itself and its wider impact. The priority at this stage is delivering the pilot and no decisions have been made on further issuances. As the government has set out previously, the pilot DIGIT issuance will be separate from our standard debt issuance programme.

What assessment his Department has made of the total area of low-grade agricultural land suitable for ground-mounted solar deployment in Buckinghamshire.

The Department currently monitors the geographical location of solar developments through the Renewable Energy Planning Database (REPD). While we currently do not hold data on the type of land used in different counties, there are plans to broaden the scope of this database to provide information on the area and types of agricultural land used by existing solar projects and those in the planning pipeline.