Written questions by Anderson.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of the Farming Equipment and Technology Fund on the adoption of precision agriculture technologies among small and medium-sized farms in Buckinghamshire.

The Farming Equipment and Technology Fund (FETF) provides small capital grants to farmers, growers and foresters in England to help them invest in equipment and technology that improves productivity, manage slurry, and supports animal health and welfare. Defra is conducting an evaluation to explore the impacts of grants on beneficiaries and their businesses, including environmental outcomes. This evaluation is focussed on Round 1 beneficiaries (launched in November 2021 and paid out in 2022).

What assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the four per cent pay award for teachers in 2025/26 on retention rates in (a) Milton Keynes and (b) Buckinghamshire.

High-quality teaching is the in-school factor that has the biggest positive impact on a child’s educational outcome. Recruiting and retaining more qualified, expert teachers is critical to the government’s mission to break down barriers to opportunity and boost the life chances for every child. This is why the department is committed to recruiting an additional 6,500 new teachers across secondary and special schools and in our colleges over the course of this Parliament.The department cannot currently provide a breakdown of this progress by constituency, however, over 2,000 more people are training to become secondary school teachers this year. Recruitment is on track to improve further for 2025/26, with 1,070 more acceptances to postgraduate and teacher degree apprenticeship initial teacher training courses in secondary subjects by the end of April 2025, compared to the same time last year. Additionally, over 2,500 more teachers are expected to stay in the profession over the next three years.This is, in part, due to the 5.5% pay rise announced last year, which, combined with this year’s above-inflation pay award of 4%, will mean school teachers in maintained schools will see an increase in their pay of almost 10% over two years. This will apply across all teachers in all constituencies across England and is already having a significant impact on teacher retention. Alongside this, the department is offering targeted retention payments to teachers of key subjects working in disadvantaged areas in the first five years of their careers. Teachers in four schools are eligible for these payments, up to £4,000 tax free, in the Buckingham and Bletchley constituency, 12 in Milton Keynes, and 24 in Buckinghamshire County.To further improve retention, the department is actively promoting flexible working in schools, such as allowing planning, preparation, and assessment to be undertaken from home. We are also funding bespoke support provided by flexible working ambassador schools and multi-academy trusts, ensuring schools are capturing the benefits of flexible working, whilst protecting pupils’ face-to-face teacher time. Upton Court Grammar School of Pioneer Educational Trust is the flexible working ambassador school for the South East, providing local, tailored peer support for Milton Keynes and Buckinghamshire.

What steps her Department is taking to evaluate the long-term fiscal impacts of the UK-Japan partnership.

The Treasury does not produce official economic and fiscal forecasts. The independent Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) is responsible for producing forecasts of the UK economy. The relationship has strengthened in recent years, following the 2020 Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) and the 2023 Hiroshima Accord, underlining the importance of the UK's relationship with Japan. These agreements have led to stronger economic ties, promoted trade and investment, and targeted mutual economic growth and resilience.

What steps her Department is taking to support community groups in Milton Keynes to prevent youth involvement in violent crime.

Halving knife crime over the next decade is a key part of the Government’s Safer Streets Mission. Driving down youth-related violence across the UK, including in Milton Keynes, will play a key role in meeting this ambition.Through the Young Futures Programme, the Government will introduce Prevention Partnerships across the country, including in Thames Valley, to intervene earlier and ensure that children and young people vulnerable to being drawn into crime are identified and offered support in a more systematic way.As we design the Young Futures Programme, we will ensure that it learns from and builds on the work of the Violence Reduction Units (VRUs). VRUs bring together partners, including representatives from local education institutions and from the voluntary and community sector, to understand and tackle the drivers of serious violence in their area.In 2025/26 the Home Office is investing £1.5m in grant funding to Thames Valley VRU, alongside £280k to continue the implementation of the Serious Violence Duty.This funding will support delivery of a range of early intervention and prevention programmes, which includes continuation of a Focussed Deterrence intervention in Milton Keynes. This project will be targeted at young people who carry knives and providing them with tailored multi-agency support to desist from violence, alongside enforcement measures. Funding will also support the development and roll out of training for parents, schools and community groups in Thames Valley on the signs of criminal exploitation, in order that young people at risk are identified and supported.Alongside investment in local violence prevention approaches, we are also committed to removing weapons from our streets. Stop and search is a vital tool for tackling crime. Last year 16,066 stop and searches led to offensive weapons or firearms being found and taken off our streets.On 24 September 2024 we implemented the ban on zombie-style knives and zombie-style machetes, and from 1 August 2025 it will also be illegal to sell or own ninja swords. We have announced “Ronan’s Law” a range of measures which will include stricter rules for online sellers of knives including strengthening age verification controls and checks through a two-stage age verification system at the point of purchase and on delivery, and we are also intending to consult later this year on a registration scheme for online sellers of knives.With measures in the Crime and Policing Bill 2025 we are increasing the penalties for illegal sales of knives, creating a new offence of possessing a knife with the intention to commit unlawful violence and are giving the police a new power to seize knives when they believe they are likely to be used in connection with unlawful violence.

What steps her Department is taking to support schools in Milton Keynes in delivering anti-violence education programmes.

Halving knife crime over the next decade is a key part of the Government’s Safer Streets Mission. Driving down youth-related violence across the UK, including in Milton Keynes, will play a key role in meeting this ambition.Through the Young Futures Programme, the Government will introduce Prevention Partnerships across the country, including in Thames Valley, to intervene earlier and ensure that children and young people vulnerable to being drawn into crime are identified and offered support in a more systematic way.As we design the Young Futures Programme, we will ensure that it learns from and builds on the work of the Violence Reduction Units (VRUs). VRUs bring together partners, including representatives from local education institutions and from the voluntary and community sector, to understand and tackle the drivers of serious violence in their area.In 2025/26 the Home Office is investing £1.5m in grant funding to Thames Valley VRU, alongside £280k to continue the implementation of the Serious Violence Duty.This funding will support delivery of a range of early intervention and prevention programmes, which includes continuation of a Focussed Deterrence intervention in Milton Keynes. This project will be targeted at young people who carry knives and providing them with tailored multi-agency support to desist from violence, alongside enforcement measures. Funding will also support the development and roll out of training for parents, schools and community groups in Thames Valley on the signs of criminal exploitation, in order that young people at risk are identified and supported.Alongside investment in local violence prevention approaches, we are also committed to removing weapons from our streets. Stop and search is a vital tool for tackling crime. Last year 16,066 stop and searches led to offensive weapons or firearms being found and taken off our streets.On 24 September 2024 we implemented the ban on zombie-style knives and zombie-style machetes, and from 1 August 2025 it will also be illegal to sell or own ninja swords. We have announced “Ronan’s Law” a range of measures which will include stricter rules for online sellers of knives including strengthening age verification controls and checks through a two-stage age verification system at the point of purchase and on delivery, and we are also intending to consult later this year on a registration scheme for online sellers of knives.With measures in the Crime and Policing Bill 2025 we are increasing the penalties for illegal sales of knives, creating a new offence of possessing a knife with the intention to commit unlawful violence and are giving the police a new power to seize knives when they believe they are likely to be used in connection with unlawful violence.

What steps her Department is taking to remove dangerous weapons from the streets in Milton Keynes.

Halving knife crime over the next decade is a key part of the Government’s Safer Streets Mission. Driving down youth-related violence across the UK, including in Milton Keynes, will play a key role in meeting this ambition.Through the Young Futures Programme, the Government will introduce Prevention Partnerships across the country, including in Thames Valley, to intervene earlier and ensure that children and young people vulnerable to being drawn into crime are identified and offered support in a more systematic way.As we design the Young Futures Programme, we will ensure that it learns from and builds on the work of the Violence Reduction Units (VRUs). VRUs bring together partners, including representatives from local education institutions and from the voluntary and community sector, to understand and tackle the drivers of serious violence in their area.In 2025/26 the Home Office is investing £1.5m in grant funding to Thames Valley VRU, alongside £280k to continue the implementation of the Serious Violence Duty.This funding will support delivery of a range of early intervention and prevention programmes, which includes continuation of a Focussed Deterrence intervention in Milton Keynes. This project will be targeted at young people who carry knives and providing them with tailored multi-agency support to desist from violence, alongside enforcement measures. Funding will also support the development and roll out of training for parents, schools and community groups in Thames Valley on the signs of criminal exploitation, in order that young people at risk are identified and supported.Alongside investment in local violence prevention approaches, we are also committed to removing weapons from our streets. Stop and search is a vital tool for tackling crime. Last year 16,066 stop and searches led to offensive weapons or firearms being found and taken off our streets.On 24 September 2024 we implemented the ban on zombie-style knives and zombie-style machetes, and from 1 August 2025 it will also be illegal to sell or own ninja swords. We have announced “Ronan’s Law” a range of measures which will include stricter rules for online sellers of knives including strengthening age verification controls and checks through a two-stage age verification system at the point of purchase and on delivery, and we are also intending to consult later this year on a registration scheme for online sellers of knives.With measures in the Crime and Policing Bill 2025 we are increasing the penalties for illegal sales of knives, creating a new offence of possessing a knife with the intention to commit unlawful violence and are giving the police a new power to seize knives when they believe they are likely to be used in connection with unlawful violence.

What assessment her Department has made of the UK’s fiscal resilience in the context of trade liberalisation with Indo-Pacific partners.

The Treasury does not produce official economic and fiscal forecasts. The independent Office for Budget Responsibility is responsible for producing forecasts of the UK economy. Growth is the central mission of the government and can support the stability of the public finances. Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) can help to deliver growth, by reducing the costs of trade between partner countries and driving a more efficient allocation of resources within sectors, as well as wide range of other macroeconomic gains. The UK recently agreed a comprehensive FTA with India and acceded to the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) in December 2024. The UK also has FTAs with Australia and New Zealand. As the Business and Trade Secretary announced in a Written Ministerial Statement in July 2024, the government intends to agree a deal with the Republic of Korea as part of its FTA negotiations programme.

What steps his Department is taking to support investment into key growth sectors through the UK-Gulf economic partnerships.

The Department for Business and Trade maintains strong relations with Gulf investors and encourages them towards opportunities in key growth sectors through the Strategic and Sovereign Investment partnerships coordinated by the Office for Investment. We also encourage investment through broader diplomatic forums, such as the UK-Saudi Strategic Partnership Council. Furthermore, we are negotiating a GCC Free Trade Agreement that will build on our strong investment relationship and support further investment, including in UK growth sectors.

What progress her Department has made in recruiting additional expert teachers in (a) secondary schools, (b) special schools and (c) colleges in Buckingham and Bletchley constituency.

High-quality teaching is the in-school factor that has the biggest positive impact on a child’s educational outcome. Recruiting and retaining more qualified, expert teachers is critical to the government’s mission to break down barriers to opportunity and boost the life chances for every child. This is why the department is committed to recruiting an additional 6,500 new teachers across secondary and special schools and in our colleges over the course of this Parliament.The department cannot currently provide a breakdown of this progress by constituency, however, over 2,000 more people are training to become secondary school teachers this year. Recruitment is on track to improve further for 2025/26, with 1,070 more acceptances to postgraduate and teacher degree apprenticeship initial teacher training courses in secondary subjects by the end of April 2025, compared to the same time last year. Additionally, over 2,500 more teachers are expected to stay in the profession over the next three years.This is, in part, due to the 5.5% pay rise announced last year, which, combined with this year’s above-inflation pay award of 4%, will mean school teachers in maintained schools will see an increase in their pay of almost 10% over two years. This will apply across all teachers in all constituencies across England and is already having a significant impact on teacher retention. Alongside this, the department is offering targeted retention payments to teachers of key subjects working in disadvantaged areas in the first five years of their careers. Teachers in four schools are eligible for these payments, up to £4,000 tax free, in the Buckingham and Bletchley constituency, 12 in Milton Keynes, and 24 in Buckinghamshire County.To further improve retention, the department is actively promoting flexible working in schools, such as allowing planning, preparation, and assessment to be undertaken from home. We are also funding bespoke support provided by flexible working ambassador schools and multi-academy trusts, ensuring schools are capturing the benefits of flexible working, whilst protecting pupils’ face-to-face teacher time. Upton Court Grammar School of Pioneer Educational Trust is the flexible working ambassador school for the South East, providing local, tailored peer support for Milton Keynes and Buckinghamshire.

What steps her Department is taking to support colleges in Milton Keynes to utilise new technologies to (a) tackle workload and (b) improve outcomes.

The department has promised to take up a new era in technology, to back our teachers and deliver better life chances for students across the country.We are investing millions of pounds in further evidence generation on the safe and effective use of EdTech in colleges. The Edtech Impact Testbed Pilot, announced at Education World Forum, aims to explore how technology can address significant challenges in the education sector. This pilot will test Edtech products and practices already in use in schools and colleges. The goal is to generate evidence of the impact on improving staff workload, pupil outcomes, and inclusivity. The expression of interest for this pilot will launch shortly on Citizen Space and colleges will be able to apply to get involved. The website where colleges can express their interest is available at: https://consult.education.gov.uk/.In addition, we plan to publish support materials for teachers and leaders to help them with the safe and effective use of artificial intelligence (AI), so dedicated professionals working in education can spend more time doing what they do best and what they enjoy, face to face engagement with students.The department also provides funding for Jisc, who operate the UK’s ultra-fast national research and education network ‘Janet’, one of the most secure and powerful data networks in the world. This central funding allows colleges to connect on Janet and benefit from a good level of connectivity and cyber security, ensuring that the foundations for technology infrastructure are in place for colleges to be able to harness the opportunities that technology presents.

What estimate his Department has made of the proportion of SMEs in (a) Buckinghamshire and (b) Milton Keynes that have secured angel investment in the last 24 months.

Business angels are a significant source of equity investment for start-up and early-stage businesses. Angel investments are typically private arrangements and therefore there is no requirement for them to be publicly reported. The British Business Bank supports angel investment through its Regional Angels Programme, which helps reduce regional imbalances in access to early-stage equity finance for smaller businesses across the UK. As at March 2024 the Regional Angels Programme has committed £219m and supported 593 businesses. In late June the British Business Bank will publish its annual Small Business Equity Tracker 2025. The report will include an analysis of the UK Business Angel Market and will also provide detail on equity deals in the South East region.

What data his Department holds on the proportion of British Business Bank-backed loans which include personal guarantee requirements from borrowers.

The British Business Bank utilises accredited delivery partners to deliver its schemes. Under the Growth Guarantee Scheme (formerly the Recovery Loan Scheme), delivery partners are required to apply personal guarantees where they would in the course of their normal commercial lending. Under GGS and RLS 3, approximately 70% of facilities have been recorded by the lender as having a personal guarantee attached.

What data her Department holds on the proportion of five-year-olds in (a) Milton Keynes and (b) Buckinghamshire who met a good level of development in the Early Years Foundation Stage Profile in the most recent year for which figures are available.

Information on the proportion of five year-olds who have a good level of development by local authority is published annually in the Early Years Foundation Stage Profile results statistics release. The release is available here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/early-years-foundation-stage-profile-results/2023-24.The proportion of five year-olds in Milton Keynes and Buckinghamshire who had a good level of development in the latest academic year, 2023/24, can be accessed at the following link: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/c7642b61-084e-46e3-a412-08dd8e33d0bf.

What estimate her Department has made of the number of early years providers in England that may increase their capacity through the use of free flow outdoor space under the proposed changes to the early years foundation stage statutory framework.

The expansion of funded childcare is continuing to support families. The department is exploring new ways to help providers offer more high-quality childcare places for working families, which includes access to outdoor space. Therefore, the department has launched a consultation on whether to introduce flexibility into the early years foundation stage (EYFS) statutory framework that will allow free-flow outdoor space to be included in the indoor space requirements, with a possible cap on the number of additional places that can be offered. The consultation can be accessed here: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/space-requirements-in-early-years-childcare-settings-in-england. The EYFS framework can be accessed here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/early-years-foundation-stage-framework--2.The department’s ‘Pulse surveys of childcare and early years providers’, which were published April 2024, found strong support for these proposals with the majority of providers, with 70 per cent (7 in 10), saying they would be likely to use these flexibilities. The survey results can be accessed here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/pulse-surveys-of-childcare-and-early-years-providers. The results of the consultation, and the department’s response, are expected to be published in autumn 2025.

How many people in (a) Milton Keynes and (b) Buckinghamshire are eligible for free NHS prescriptions under the low-income scheme.

The information requested is not held. Eligibility for the NHS Low Income Scheme and the amount of help an individual can get depends on their weekly income and necessary outgoings, plus any savings or investments they have at the time of application. Given this, it is not possible to know the total number of people eligible for the scheme at any given time.

How many community pharmacies provide Pharmacy Contraception Services as of May 2025 in Buckingham and Bletchley constituency.

The most recent available data from January 2025 showed that there were 15 community pharmacies providing services in Buckingham and Bletchley. The contraception service is an additional service that contractors can choose to provide. The latest full set of data available shows that claims were submitted by 5,399 pharmacies for delivering this service, including five in Buckingham and Bletchley.

Food and Rural Affairs, how many live Sustainable Farming Incentive agreements were in place in Buckinghamshire as of 11 March 2025.

As of 11 March 2025, there are 323 farmers who have accepted a Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) agreement (SFI Pilot, SFI 23 and SFI EO) in Buckinghamshire.

Food and Rural Affairs, how many of the 3,000 farming businesses that started but did not submit applications to the Sustainable Farming Incentive 2024 scheme after 12 January 2025 are based in Buckinghamshire.

There are 34 farming businesses in Buckinghamshire that started but did not submit an application to the Sustainable Farming Incentive 2024 scheme after 12 January 2025.

What proportion of prescription items dispensed in (a) Milton Keynes and (b) Buckinghamshire were exempt from charges for each of the last three years.

The information requested has been provided by the NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA). It has not been possible to collate data for the Milton Keynes and Buckinghamshire area alone as this would require the NHSBSA to hold postcodes for all addresses in this area, however we do hold data for the two National Health Service integrated care boards (ICBs) which cover the Milton Keynes and Buckinghamshire area, namely the NHS Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes ICB and the NHS Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire West ICB. Therefore, the following table shows the percentage of prescription items for which the patient held a prescription pre-payment certificate or did not pay a charge because the item was covered by an existing exemption that were dispensed for the NHS Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes ICB, for 2022, 2023, and 2024: YearPercentage of items where no per item charge was paid at the point of dispensing202293.73%202393.95%202494.31% In addition, the following table shows the percentage of prescription items for which the patient held a prescription pre-payment certificate or did not pay a charge because the item was covered by an existing exemption that were dispensed for the NHS Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire West ICB, for 2022, 2023, and 2024: YearPercentage of items where no per item charge was paid at the point of dispensing202292.91%202393.26%202493.69% To note, prescriptions purchased using a prescription pre-payment certificate are recorded as exempt at the point of dispensing by the NHSBSA. Given this, prescription pre-payment certificate dispensing data is included in the above data set.

How many companies in the scale-up category have accessed British Business Bank-backed debt finance in the last 24 months.

The British Business Bank publishes performance data on the Growth Guarantee Scheme (GGS) on a quarterly basis. Up to 31 December 2024, GGS has been utilised by accredited lenders to enable 13,447 scheme facilities, totalling £2.11 billion. The data is broken down by facility status, lender, nation and region, sector, facility type and size, company size, turnover and age of business, but does not define facilities by scale-up category.