Written questions by Anderson.

What assessment his Department has made of the potential contribution of the Drive35 programme to the UK's domestic supply chain resilience in the automotive sector.

DRIVE35 will ensure the UK remains at the forefront of zero-emission vehicle manufacturing It will support the latest research and development, accelerate commercial scale up, and unlock capital investment in zero emission vehicles, batteries, and the wider supply chain. This will help in strengthening UK supply chain resilience, and boost competitiveness in the sector.

Food and Rural Affairs, what plans his Department has to support the monitoring of environmental lead contamination by conservation bodies in Buckinghamshire.

Under the Environment Improvement Plan, we provide long-term monitoring in England to assess and manage risk from substances known to be harmful, including lead. Trends for exposure of people and wildlife to harmful chemicals are set out in the Outcome Indicator Framework for the Environment Improvement Plan. Minister Hardy recently announced a decision to restrict the use of lead in certain ammunition through UK REACH. This is now being taken forward, including how the restriction will be enforced and monitored. The Health and Safety executive, alongside the Environment Agency, will be responsible for monitoring this restriction.

What steps his Department is taking to ensure that resilience (a) standards and (b) benchmarks are applied consistently across government departments.

The UK Government Resilience Action Plan is underpinned by well-established Cabinet Office governance structures, including the National Security Council (Resilience), which oversee the implementation and delivery of resilience matters across UK government. The action plan announced new assurance measures to raise resilience standards across government, refreshed expectations for Lead Government Departments will clarify roles and responsibilities, and the UK Resilience Academy will convene expert panels to scrutinise government plans and preparedness for whole-system civil emergencies.The Cabinet Office will continue to report on resilience progress with an annual statement to Parliament on resilience.

What criteria the Cabinet Office uses to prioritise national risks within the Government Resilience Framework.

The UK Government Resilience Action Plan takes an ‘all hazards’ approach, focusing on improving the general resilience of the nation to all risks, and investing in common systems and tools to respond. The wide range of specific risks the government plans for are continually assessed in the National Security Risk Assessment, which now operates on a dynamic model and incorporates challenge through a refreshed Expert Advisory Programme.

What the role of local resilience forums are in delivering the objectives of the UK Government Resilience Action Plan.

The UK government recognises the foundational importance of Local Resilience Forums to our national resilience. The Resilience Action Plan sets out our plans to strengthen the public sector resilience system through the roll-out of further data to support local partners to plan for and respond to risks more effectively.

When he will report departmental progress against the commitments in the UK Government Resilience Action Plan.

The UK Government Resilience Action Plan is underpinned by well-established Cabinet Office governance structures, including the National Security Council (Resilience), which oversee the implementation and delivery of resilience matters across UK government. The action plan announced new assurance measures to raise resilience standards across government, refreshed expectations for Lead Government Departments will clarify roles and responsibilities, and the UK Resilience Academy will convene expert panels to scrutinise government plans and preparedness for whole-system civil emergencies.The Cabinet Office will continue to report on resilience progress with an annual statement to Parliament on resilience.

What governance structures he has put in place to oversee the cross-government implementation of the UK Government Resilience Action Plan.

The UK Government Resilience Action Plan is underpinned by well-established Cabinet Office governance structures, including the National Security Council (Resilience), which oversee the implementation and delivery of resilience matters across UK government. The action plan announced new assurance measures to raise resilience standards across government, refreshed expectations for Lead Government Departments will clarify roles and responsibilities, and the UK Resilience Academy will convene expert panels to scrutinise government plans and preparedness for whole-system civil emergencies.The Cabinet Office will continue to report on resilience progress with an annual statement to Parliament on resilience.

What assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the support delivered to underrepresented entrepreneurs through the £500 million investment programme.

The £500 million programme of investment for entrepreneurs from underrepresented groups is a new initiative by the British Business Bank which has not yet opened for applications. This includes a £400m Investor Pathways Capital initiative, an addition of £50m in the Invest in Women Taskforce and an addition of £50m in the female-led funds that are aligned with the eight growth-driving sectors of the Industrial Strategy.All Bank programmes, delivery partners and Fund Managers are subject to robust standards of monitoring, reporting, and independent evaluation with oversight by the Bank's investment committee and DBT. Performance of delivery partners is monitored, and the distribution of finance is tracked, including by diversity characteristics such as sex and ethnicity and a programme of early assessments, interim and final evaluations.

What steps he is taking to help ensure the fair regional distribution of funding from the £500 million support package for underrepresented entrepreneurs.

The new funding for entrepreneurs from underrepresented groups will be fairly distributed across the UK. Since the British Business Bank's founding, the Bank has backed businesses in all nations and regions of the UK, helping to deliver significant economic impacts.The 10 Year Impact Report shows that 84% of the supported businesses have been based outside of London. The estimated GVA impact from the Bank's support reaches or exceeds £1bn in each and every nation and region. This is accompanied by tens of thousands of jobs being supported in each nation and region as well as boosting economically significant job creation.

What steps his Department is taking to ensure that the delivery partners for the £500 million fund for underrepresented entrepreneurs have appropriate (a) governance and (b) accountability mechanisms in place.

The £500 million programme of investment for entrepreneurs from underrepresented groups is a new initiative by the British Business Bank which has not yet opened for applications. This includes a £400m Investor Pathways Capital initiative, an addition of £50m in the Invest in Women Taskforce and an addition of £50m in the female-led funds that are aligned with the eight growth-driving sectors of the Industrial Strategy.All Bank programmes, delivery partners and Fund Managers are subject to robust standards of monitoring, reporting, and independent evaluation with oversight by the Bank's investment committee and DBT. Performance of delivery partners is monitored, and the distribution of finance is tracked, including by diversity characteristics such as sex and ethnicity and a programme of early assessments, interim and final evaluations.

What steps he is taking to ensure that funds directed to UK‑based suppliers under the national security initiative are (a) monitored and (b) reported.

Managing Public Money sets out expectations for all public services, including money spent procuring any goods and services. The standards are honesty, impartiality, openness, accountability, accuracy, fairness, integrity, transparency, objectivity, and reliability. All should be carried out in the spirit of, as well as to the letter of the law, in the public interest, to high ethical standards and achieving value for money.It also sets out that there shall be adequate reporting arrangements to provide assurance to the board, the Accounting Officer and ultimately ministers about what is being achieved, to what standards and with what effect. Monitoring and evaluation are part of the development and planning of any intervention from the start. They are important to ensure successful implementation and the responsible, transparent management of public resources.

What steps he is taking to (a) review and (b) update the list of strategically important sectors eligible for preferential national security procurement over the next three years.

As stated in the public consultation document at the end of last month, the Government is considering plans that will allow Ministers to designate certain UK specific services, works or goods as nationally important to protecting UK national security - as part of our Plan for Change to secure Britain's future. The government is not inviting public consultation on this proposal but will engage with relevant national security stakeholders as necessary.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of changes to the water regulation budget on Ofwat’s regulatory capacity.

Ofwat is the independent economic regulator for the water and sewerage industry in England and Wales. Ofwat is directly accountable to Parliament, and its duties are set out in the Water Industry Act 1991. Ofwat is primarily a levy funded regulator raising our income from water companies through licence fees. As a result of Ofwat's increase in funding as part of the Comprehensive Spending Review, it will be able to respond to the pace of change required now and in the future. Ofwat has, and will continue to, recruit additional capacity and capability to support the government’s longer-term plans for reforming the sector and to continue to improve the way it regulates to improve outcomes for customers, society and the environment.

What assessment his Department has made of potential impact of the private sector investment announced at the UK–Japan business summit on businesses in Buckingham and Bletchley constituency.

Japan is an important economic partner, with more than 1,200 Japanese owned companies in the UK, supporting over 150,000 jobs across the UK On 7 March, Foreign Secretary David Lammy and Business and Trade Secretary Jonathan Reynolds visited Tokyo for the inaugural UK-Japan Economic 2+2 Dialogue. The two Secretaries of State were accompanied by a UK business delegation and met representatives of Japanese business and industry On 9 July, Minister for Investment Poppy Gustafsson travelled to Tokyo and met with Japanese businesses to support further Japanese investment into the UK. During the visit, Sumitomo Corporation announced its aim to facilitate £7.5 billion of investment into key UK infrastructure and clean energy projects by 2035. Department for Business and Trade officials are monitoring the implementation of these projects closely.

Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to his Department's policy paper entitled Flood and coastal erosion risk management: an investment plan for 2021 to 2027, published on 29 July 2021, what estimate his Department has made of the number of flood defence schemes funded under the plan that affect communities in Buckingham and Bletchley constituency.

In the Buckingham and Bletchley Constituency, four projects have received, or have had funding allocated, within the current FCRM investment-plan period which is now due to end in March 2026. Projects include delivery of Natural Flood Management (NFM) in Leckhampstead, an NFM catchment opportunity study, investigation into Sustainable-Urban-Drainage measures in Tingewick and works to Thornborough Sluice.

Food and Rural Affairs, what recent discussions his Department has had with Ofwat on the use of its increased budget to help improve enforcement activity.

Ofwat delivers enforcement activities to secure companies’ compliance with their legal obligations and improve company behaviours in order to protect the interests of customers and the environment. Where companies are in breach of obligations that it enforces, Ofwat will step in and hold companies to account through enforcement action. At this year's multi-year Comprehensive Spending Review, HM Treasury approved Ofwat's plans to increase its budget to recruit more resources. This includes increases to its capacity and capability for enforcement Ofwat will be able to ensure its enforcement activities continue to hold water companies to account. With these additional resources, Ofwat will be better equipped to ensure that its enforcement activities continue to hold water companies accountable.

What steps her Department is taking to work with community groups on the knife crime amnesty initiative in Buckingham and Bletchley constituency.

The Government is operating extended surrender arrangements throughout July focused on Greater London, West Midlands and Greater Manchester, as the three highest areas of knife crime in England and Wales. These arrangements involve a mobile surrender van which is being operated by the charity Faz Amnesty to allow people to anonymously surrender knives and weapons along with the provision of surrender bins in partnership with the charity Word 4 Weapons. Faz Amnesty will be looking to work across wider locations in the future.We are also running a separate surrender and compensation scheme to allow the public to surrender ninja swords and claim compensation at designated police stations across England and Wales. The list of designated police stations, including those within Thames Valley Police is available on Gov.UK at: Ninja sword surrender and compensation scheme - GOV.UK

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department plans to take to help support tenant farmers to access the capital grants scheme.

Defra reopened the Capital Grants offer from 3rd July, with £150 million available for this new round, allowing farmers to buy equipment or services that help them make environmental improvements. We have made the offer as accessible as possible to tenant farmers. Tenants can apply if they either have 5 years remaining on their tenancy or have the countersignature of their landlord, who is agreeing to take on the responsibilities of the agreement if the tenancy ends during the 5 year period. This is because they need to be able to install and maintain any items funded through the offer for 5 years from the start of their agreement.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department plans to review the impact of the increased water regulation budget on water company compliance by the end of the regulatory period.

This Government has been clear there is no excuse for poor performance, and we will not look the other way while companies routinely fail to meet agreed standards. Water companies must take seriously their role in meeting the public and regulators expectations. Ofwat is financed by licence fees that are recovered from the water companies and are accountable to Parliament for the money they spend. The Environment Agency, who are in charge of water company inspections and prosecutions for environmental damage, will receive a cash injection of over £189 million this financial year. This will fund more enforcement officers, improved equipment and the latest technology for the regulator. This year alone it will carry out more than 10,000 inspections of water company assets and has already launched a record 81 criminal investigations into water company pollution incidents since July 2024.

Whether his Department is taking steps to monitor the timeline of the implementation of private sector investment projects arising from the UK–Japan business summit.

Japan is an important economic partner, with more than 1,200 Japanese owned companies in the UK, supporting over 150,000 jobs across the UK On 7 March, Foreign Secretary David Lammy and Business and Trade Secretary Jonathan Reynolds visited Tokyo for the inaugural UK-Japan Economic 2+2 Dialogue. The two Secretaries of State were accompanied by a UK business delegation and met representatives of Japanese business and industry On 9 July, Minister for Investment Poppy Gustafsson travelled to Tokyo and met with Japanese businesses to support further Japanese investment into the UK. During the visit, Sumitomo Corporation announced its aim to facilitate £7.5 billion of investment into key UK infrastructure and clean energy projects by 2035. Department for Business and Trade officials are monitoring the implementation of these projects closely.