Written questions by Anderson.

What steps her Department is taking to ensure investor protection is maintained alongside regulatory reform in capital markets.

The government is committed to reinvigorating our capital markets to deliver growth across the UK and is pursuing ambitious reforms to make our markets even more competitive. These reforms, including the FCA’s new UK Listings Rules and the government’s prospectus reforms, will benefit all firms including fintech firms. The government is committed to an approach to financial services regulation which strikes the right balance between driving UK economic growth and providing robust safeguards for investors. The FCA has a primary objective to protect consumers, and a secondary objective to facilitate international competitiveness and growth.

What assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of the UK-New Zealand trade agreement on SME exporters located in (a) Buckinghamshire and (b) Milton Keynes.

The UK-New Zealand FTA benefits every region of the UK including Buckinghamshire and Milton Keynes. It also includes commitments to support SMEs to trade, including through a standalone SME chapter. Data is not collected centrally on the impact of the UK-New Zealand trade agreement on SME exporters located in Buckinghamshire and Milton Keynes. However, since entry into force, there are early indications of positive uptake of the agreement’s benefits by British exporters. According to official data from New Zealand, between June 2023 and Dec 2024 £164.2m (80.7%) of goods imports into New Zealand from the UK used preferential tariffs. Had these occurred at standard Most Favoured Nation (MFN) tariff rates, they could have encountered an additional £9.3m in duties.

What assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of the Qatar Investment Authority's Strategic Investment Partnership on the clean energy sector in the UK.

The 2022 Qatar-UK Strategic Investment Partnership is a long-term framework through which the two countries collaborate across a number of key UK industries, creating jobs and growth through investment, including in sectors vital for clean growth and decarbonisation through technology and innovation. December 2024’s announcement from Qatar to invest £1bn in UK climate technology demonstrates the strength of the arrangement’s potential impact.

What steps his Department is taking to ensure regional access to investment under the UK-UAE Investment Partnership.

As part of the UK-UAE Sovereign Investment Partnership, the Office for Investment has worked with Emirati investors to explore investment opportunities across the UK and UAE investment can be found across the UK, driving growth and prosperity across key sectors to the mutual benefit of both countries.These investments include offshore wind in Scotland and advanced material research in North-West England. An expanded Office for Investment is working to make the UK the first choice for investment and the best place in the world to do business, turning regional growth plans into clear and commercially credible pipelines of investment opportunities.

What steps her Department is taking to help increase collaboration between UK and Qatari financial institutions in (a) capital markets, (b) sustainable finance and (c) financial technology, in the context of the Memorandum of Understanding on financial services.

The UK and Qatar share a strong trade and investment partnership, with a total trade volume of over £5.6 billion in 2024, contributing to economic growth, diversification, innovation and job creation. To reflect the important role that the financial services sector plays in achieving both the UK Government’s economic growth mission and Qatar’s National Vision 2030, the Chancellor and Qatar’s Finance Minister signed a Financial Services Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between HM Treasury and the Qatar Ministry of Finance in December 2024. The MoU identifies capital markets, sustainable finance, and fintech as priority areas of interest. Work is underway to identify opportunities for collaboration within these subsectors, and the first annual UK-Qatar Financial Services Working Group will be held later this year.

What assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of UK-India trade talks in supporting advanced manufacturing.

The UK-India FTA is estimated to increase bilateral trade by £25.5 billion, and UK GDP by £4.8 billion each and every year in the long term. As part of this agreement, India will cut tariffs on a number of advanced manufacturing goods such as automotives, electrical circuits, high-end optical products, and medical devices. We will set out further information on the sectoral impacts of this agreement in our Impact Assessment.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of the Investor Partnerships programme at increasing the commercialisation of agricultural technologies.

The Farming Innovation Investor Partnerships programme, launched on 2 June, builds on a pilot round where recipient companies were awarded over £4 million in grant funding that leveraged more than £10 million in private investment. Most of the companies involved now have commercially available products, and have unlocked additional private funding.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to ensure equitable access to the Farming Equipment and Technology Fund for farmers 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).

Food and Rural Affairs, what mechanisms are in place to monitor the environmental outcomes from the equipment and technology funded through the Farming Equipment and Technology Fund.

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 steps his Department is taking to ensure that the UK’s involvement in the EU’s defence industrial programmes align with the UK’s strategic defence objectives.

The Strategic Defence Review recognises that international partnerships are crucial for both innovation and collective security. The Security and Defence Partnership with the EU complements our NATO first approach as we continue to support alignment between NATO and the EU. We are also producing a new Defence Industrial Strategy (DIS), which will allow us to develop a modern defence industrial base that is able to better support our, and our allies', security whilst also helping to drive economic growth. The Defence Industrial Strategy will set out how we will continue to work with key partners, including through the EU, and pursue new industrial ventures to ensure our industry continues to innovate.

What assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of the UK-EU security and defence partnership on the defence industry.

As this is a critical moment for the security of our continent, we welcome European efforts to increase defence spending, through the ReArm initiative including the EU’s €150 billion loan programme, also known as SAFE (Security Action for Europe). The UK and the EU have agreed an ambitious new Security and Defence Partnership as part of a wider package of the UK-EU reset. Crucially, the Security and Defence Partnership means the UK now meets the criteria for discussing participation in common procurement under SAFE, which could provide new opportunities for our defence industry. Recognising the important role that the UK’s defence industry plays already for European security, we have set out our ambition to swiftly explore the potential for enhanced cooperation through the proposed SAFE instrument, as soon as the EU’s necessary processes are complete.

What assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of the UK-EU security and defence partnership on the interoperability of UK armed forces with EU member states.

The UK-EU Security and Defence Partnership aims to support enhanced interoperability in ways that deliver mutual benefit and reinforce the European contribution to NATO. The Partnership will support and complement our commitment to NATO — which remains the cornerstone of Euro-Atlantic security — and to the UK’s strong bilateral defence relationships with both EU member states and third country allies. It strengthens our ability to act jointly where interests align, while preserving the UK’s strategic autonomy and global defence posture.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of trends in the geographical distribution of cattle-specific infrastructure grants under the Animal Health and Welfare Pathway.

The deadline for full applications for the Calf Housing for Health and Welfare grant was the 30 April 2025. There were no geographic targets for the grant. The Rural Payments Agency (RPA) is in the process of reviewing and approving final applications for the grant. It is too early to assess the distribution of grants awarded, until all full applications have been assessed and grant funding agreements issued to successful applicants.

What assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of capital markets reform on fintech firms.

The government is committed to reinvigorating our capital markets to deliver growth across the UK and is pursuing ambitious reforms to make our markets even more competitive. These reforms, including the FCA’s new UK Listings Rules and the government’s prospectus reforms, will benefit all firms including fintech firms. The government is committed to an approach to financial services regulation which strikes the right balance between driving UK economic growth and providing robust safeguards for investors. The FCA has a primary objective to protect consumers, and a secondary objective to facilitate international competitiveness and growth.

What assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the introduction of the Private Intermittent Securities and Capital Exchange System on SME listings on UK capital markets.

The Private Intermittent Securities and Capital Exchange System (PISCES) seeks to complement the government’s wide ranging and ongoing reforms to boost the UK as a listing destination. PISCES aims to make private secondary markets more transparent and efficient, while also supporting private companies prepare for an IPO in the UK.

What steps his Department is taking to facilitate the UK defence industry’s access to the EU’s €150 billion defence loan programme, in the context of the UK-EU security and defence partnership.

As this is a critical moment for the security of our continent, we welcome European efforts to increase defence spending, through the ReArm initiative including the EU’s €150 billion loan programme, also known as SAFE (Security Action for Europe). The UK and the EU have agreed an ambitious new Security and Defence Partnership as part of a wider package of the UK-EU reset. Crucially, the Security and Defence Partnership means the UK now meets the criteria for discussing participation in common procurement under SAFE, which could provide new opportunities for our defence industry. Recognising the important role that the UK’s defence industry plays already for European security, we have set out our ambition to swiftly explore the potential for enhanced cooperation through the proposed SAFE instrument, as soon as the EU’s necessary processes are complete.

Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate his Department has made of the number of eligible cattle holdings that will access support through the Animal Health and Welfare Pathway by 2027.

Animal health and welfare is a devolved matter, and the information provided therefore relates to England only. Cattle farm businesses are currently able to claim funding for the Animal Health and Welfare Review (AHWR) and Endemic Disease Follow-up if they have more than 10 cattle. Defra’s analysis of AHWR uptake published on 20 February 2025 estimated that there are 30025 eligible cattle holdings and an uptake rate of 8.9%. Uptake is expected to increase as planned iterations to the scheme are implemented. We are reforecasting estimated uptake rates based on these changes. We encourage all eligible holdings to join the schemes to take advantage of the support on offer. The February 2025 analysis of uptake is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/animal-health-and-welfare-review-uptake/animal-health-and-welfare-review-uptake#eligible-farm-businesses-in-england

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 he has made of the potential impact of the revised national policy statements for energy infrastructure on energy infrastructure development in Buckinghamshire.

Energy National Policy Statements are not spatial and therefore do not include reference to specific geographical impacts. National Policy Statements provide the framework for decision-making on development consent orders and include clear guidance for developers on stringent requirements to assess and address project-level impacts within their applications. Strategic environmental assessments (Appraisal of Sustainability and Habitats Regulations Assessment) of the draft National Policy Statements have been published on gov.uk for public consultation, alongside the revised draft National Policy Statements.

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.