Written questions by Anderson.

How the Office for Investment plans to engage with local authorities and combined authorities to (a) identify and (b) promote investment opportunities.

We work with local and combined authorities to promote the most significant investment opportunities, by providing compelling products for use by the department’s UK and international teams.With the expanded Office for Investment, we will build further on this approach, working in partnership, to turn the Industrial Strategy and regional growth plans into a clear, commercially attractive pipeline of investment opportunities. We are piloting an enhanced way of supporting transformational local projects, connecting them with specialist support or expertise from across government to develop opportunities at scale and with commercial credibility to pull in large scale investment.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has had discussions with the World Bank Group on the Government's climate finance commitments.

Alongside the Chancellor and Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, I attended World Bank Group Annual Meetings. As my Governor's statement set out, the UK will continue to be a leading contributor to international climate finance, including support for nature and forests and the Bank is a key partner for us. Alongside the Secretary of State, I called on the Bank to play a leading role in setting a new collective MDB climate finance target ahead of COP29. I discussed this with President Banga when he visited today.

What the estimated economic impact of foreign direct investment projects in (a) Milton Keynes and (b) Buckinghamshire has been in the last five years.

Official Statistics at https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/dbt-inward-investment-results-2023-to-2024 show 13 Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) projects landed in Buckinghamshire Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) in 2023-24. This includes single site and multiple site projects. It was not possible to publish the number of new jobs created due to confidentiality issues. Statistics are not published at Local Authority level due to confidentiality concerns, but Milton Keynes is within South East Midlands LEP where 38 FDI projects landed and 3,010 jobs were created in 2023-24. The estimated economic impact of FDI projects is only published at a UK level.

How many jobs were created in (a) Milton Keynes and (b) Buckinghamshire as a result of foreign direct investment in the last year.

Official Statistics at https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/dbt-inward-investment-results-2023-to-2024 show 13 Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) projects landed in Buckinghamshire Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) in 2023-24. This includes single site and multiple site projects. It was not possible to publish the number of new jobs created due to confidentiality issues. Statistics are not published at Local Authority level due to confidentiality concerns, but Milton Keynes is within South East Midlands LEP where 38 FDI projects landed and 3,010 jobs were created in 2023-24. The estimated economic impact of FDI projects is only published at a UK level.

How the Office for Investment will assess the potential impact of foreign direct investment on domestic businesses in key sectors.

Investment is at the heart of the government’s growth mission, increasing the number of good, well-skilled jobs and improving productivity across the country. Foreign direct investment is one part of this and can support domestic businesses directly through supply chains and indirectly through spillover benefits. The new Office for Investment will work closely with all businesses to increase facilitation of investment from UK and overseas businesses.Previous research in 2021 by DBT found that on average a £1 million FDI project into Great Britain leads to a net increase in national levels of GVA of around £98,000 and a net increase in employment.

What steps his Department is taking to support cancer care in Milton Keynes University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust.

The Department is working closely with NHS England to make sure we have the right workforce with the right skills up and down the country, including in Milton Keynes. This also includes cancer care and treatment.The Government believes that cancer patients are waiting too long for diagnosis and treatment. We will get the National Health Service diagnosing cancer earlier and treating it faster. We will improve patients’ experience across the system.

What steps his Department is taking to support improvements in stroke care services at Milton Keynes University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust.

Milton Keynes University Hospital (MKUH) is demonstrating an ongoing commitment to delivering stroke services in line with the best practise, set out in the National Stroke Service Model.MKUH operates a 24-bed Hyper-Acute Stroke Unit, providing a seven-day thrombolysis service from 8:00am to 5:00pm, with additional services outside these hours offered at Luton and Dunstable Hospital. Rated B by the Sentinel Stroke National Audit Programme, the MKUH Stroke Unit had an average Door-to-Needle time of 31 minutes over the last year, compared to the national average of 55 minutes. MKUH is the second-best performing trust in England for door-in-and-out transfer time for thrombectomy to Oxford University Hospitals, with a median time of 84 minutes versus the national average of 133 minutes, and ranks 4th nationally for mechanical thrombectomy rates, at 5.9%, compared to 2.6% nationally.MKUH also uses artificial intelligence powered software called e-Stroke to analyse computed tomography scans, identify brain damage, and automatically alert the clinical team, supporting quicker clinical decisions.

Whether her Department plans to bring forward proposals to block public listings on national security grounds.

The previous government consulted on a power to block listings on national security grounds and published a summary of responses to this consultation in December 2021. The government keeps all policy under review.

What estimate he has made of the number and proportion of small businesses that will benefit from the Energy Bill Discount Scheme in (a) Buckinghamshire and (b) Milton Keynes, between 28 October 2024 and 31 March 2025.

The Energy Bills Discount Scheme closed on 31 March 2024, and so no businesses will benefit from the scheme during this time.

What consultation has been undertaken with industry stakeholders on the effectiveness of the National Security and Investment Act 2021.

The National Security and Investment (NSI) Act 2021 gives the Government power to scrutinise and intervene in acquisitions that may pose threats to national security, whilst also supporting secure and resilient growth. All sectors are within scope of the NSI Act, with acquisitions of entities related to 17 sensitive areas of the economy having to notify and receive approval from the Government before the acquisition can be completed. The Government is taking a number of steps to ensure the continued effectiveness of the NSI Act.The previous Government published a Call for Evidence in November 2023 and a response in April 2024. The Call for Evidence sought feedback from a wide range of stakeholders on the scope of the regime, the notification process and Government guidance and comms. The Government is currently considering its next steps, drawing on responses received.The Government will review and produce a report on the mandatory notification areas under the NSI Act, as required by section 4 of the Notifiable Acquisitions Regulations 2021, before January 2025.The Government will complete a Post-Implementation Review, as committed to in the NSI Act Impact Assessment, evaluating the effectiveness of the NSI Act. This is expected to be published in 2026.The Government regularly engages with stakeholders on the NSI Act, including speaking events, meetings and feedback exercises. The Government has published extensive guidance for businesses and investors. The NSI Act Market Guidance sets out what businesses and investors, including small and medium-sized businesses, need to be aware of and is available on GOV.UK. The guidance is kept under review to ensure it remains up to date. The “National Security & Investment Act 2021: Annual Report 2023-2024” published in September shows that the NSI system is continuing to run well and as intended. It demonstrates that we have the powers to protect sensitive sectors whilst continuing to support investment. Analysis to date has not found evidence of the Act affecting the total volume of investment into the UK. The UK’s approach to investment screening is in line with many other countries, including our close allies. We continue to work closely with international partners to draw on global best practice.

What steps his Department is taking to improve mental health service provision for young people in Buckinghamshire.

It is unacceptable that too many children and young people, including in Buckinghamshire, are not receiving the mental health care they need, and we know that waits for mental health services are far too long.The Department is working across Government to consider how to deliver our commitment of access to a specialist mental health professional in every school. We need to ensure that any support meets the needs of young people, teachers, parents, and carers. This includes considering the role of existing programmes of support with evidence of a positive impact, such as Mental Health Support Teams in schools and colleges.Alongside this we are working towards rolling out Young Futures hubs in every community and working with colleagues at NHS England to consider options to deliver our commitment to recruit 8,500 additional mental health workers across both adult, and children and young people’s mental health services.It will be important that these commitments can provide appropriate support for children and young people with a range of mental health needs.

What assessment he has made of the potential merits of (a) adding and (b) removing sectors from the scope of the National Security and Investment Act 2021.

The National Security and Investment (NSI) Act 2021 gives the Government power to scrutinise and intervene in acquisitions that may pose threats to national security, whilst also supporting secure and resilient growth. All sectors are within scope of the NSI Act, with acquisitions of entities related to 17 sensitive areas of the economy having to notify and receive approval from the Government before the acquisition can be completed. The Government is taking a number of steps to ensure the continued effectiveness of the NSI Act.The previous Government published a Call for Evidence in November 2023 and a response in April 2024. The Call for Evidence sought feedback from a wide range of stakeholders on the scope of the regime, the notification process and Government guidance and comms. The Government is currently considering its next steps, drawing on responses received.The Government will review and produce a report on the mandatory notification areas under the NSI Act, as required by section 4 of the Notifiable Acquisitions Regulations 2021, before January 2025.The Government will complete a Post-Implementation Review, as committed to in the NSI Act Impact Assessment, evaluating the effectiveness of the NSI Act. This is expected to be published in 2026.The Government regularly engages with stakeholders on the NSI Act, including speaking events, meetings and feedback exercises. The Government has published extensive guidance for businesses and investors. The NSI Act Market Guidance sets out what businesses and investors, including small and medium-sized businesses, need to be aware of and is available on GOV.UK. The guidance is kept under review to ensure it remains up to date. The “National Security & Investment Act 2021: Annual Report 2023-2024” published in September shows that the NSI system is continuing to run well and as intended. It demonstrates that we have the powers to protect sensitive sectors whilst continuing to support investment. Analysis to date has not found evidence of the Act affecting the total volume of investment into the UK. The UK’s approach to investment screening is in line with many other countries, including our close allies. We continue to work closely with international partners to draw on global best practice.

What steps his Department has taken to ensure that small and medium-sized businesses are aware of their obligations under the National Security and Investment Act 2021.

The National Security and Investment (NSI) Act 2021 gives the Government power to scrutinise and intervene in acquisitions that may pose threats to national security, whilst also supporting secure and resilient growth. All sectors are within scope of the NSI Act, with acquisitions of entities related to 17 sensitive areas of the economy having to notify and receive approval from the Government before the acquisition can be completed. The Government is taking a number of steps to ensure the continued effectiveness of the NSI Act.The previous Government published a Call for Evidence in November 2023 and a response in April 2024. The Call for Evidence sought feedback from a wide range of stakeholders on the scope of the regime, the notification process and Government guidance and comms. The Government is currently considering its next steps, drawing on responses received.The Government will review and produce a report on the mandatory notification areas under the NSI Act, as required by section 4 of the Notifiable Acquisitions Regulations 2021, before January 2025.The Government will complete a Post-Implementation Review, as committed to in the NSI Act Impact Assessment, evaluating the effectiveness of the NSI Act. This is expected to be published in 2026.The Government regularly engages with stakeholders on the NSI Act, including speaking events, meetings and feedback exercises. The Government has published extensive guidance for businesses and investors. The NSI Act Market Guidance sets out what businesses and investors, including small and medium-sized businesses, need to be aware of and is available on GOV.UK. The guidance is kept under review to ensure it remains up to date. The “National Security & Investment Act 2021: Annual Report 2023-2024” published in September shows that the NSI system is continuing to run well and as intended. It demonstrates that we have the powers to protect sensitive sectors whilst continuing to support investment. Analysis to date has not found evidence of the Act affecting the total volume of investment into the UK. The UK’s approach to investment screening is in line with many other countries, including our close allies. We continue to work closely with international partners to draw on global best practice.

What steps his Department is taking to review the effectiveness of the National Security and Investment Act 2021.

The National Security and Investment (NSI) Act 2021 gives the Government power to scrutinise and intervene in acquisitions that may pose threats to national security, whilst also supporting secure and resilient growth. All sectors are within scope of the NSI Act, with acquisitions of entities related to 17 sensitive areas of the economy having to notify and receive approval from the Government before the acquisition can be completed. The Government is taking a number of steps to ensure the continued effectiveness of the NSI Act.The previous Government published a Call for Evidence in November 2023 and a response in April 2024. The Call for Evidence sought feedback from a wide range of stakeholders on the scope of the regime, the notification process and Government guidance and comms. The Government is currently considering its next steps, drawing on responses received.The Government will review and produce a report on the mandatory notification areas under the NSI Act, as required by section 4 of the Notifiable Acquisitions Regulations 2021, before January 2025.The Government will complete a Post-Implementation Review, as committed to in the NSI Act Impact Assessment, evaluating the effectiveness of the NSI Act. This is expected to be published in 2026.The Government regularly engages with stakeholders on the NSI Act, including speaking events, meetings and feedback exercises. The Government has published extensive guidance for businesses and investors. The NSI Act Market Guidance sets out what businesses and investors, including small and medium-sized businesses, need to be aware of and is available on GOV.UK. The guidance is kept under review to ensure it remains up to date. The “National Security & Investment Act 2021: Annual Report 2023-2024” published in September shows that the NSI system is continuing to run well and as intended. It demonstrates that we have the powers to protect sensitive sectors whilst continuing to support investment. Analysis to date has not found evidence of the Act affecting the total volume of investment into the UK. The UK’s approach to investment screening is in line with many other countries, including our close allies. We continue to work closely with international partners to draw on global best practice.

How many NHS dentists are available to residents in (a) north Buckinghamshire and (b) Milton Keynes.

The responsibility for commissioning primary care services, including National Health Service dentistry, to meet the needs of the local population has been delegated to integrated care boards (ICBs) across England. For North Buckinghamshire and Milton Keynes this is the NHS Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes ICB.In the years 2023/24, the number of dentists who performed NHS work in the NHS Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes ICB was 481, which is equivalent to 47.4 dentists per 100,000 population. The average number of dentists per 100,000 at an ICB level in the same period was 49.8 dentists per 100,000 population. This data is published on NHS Business Services Authority, and is available at the following link:https://www.nhsbsa.nhs.uk/statistical-collections/dental-england/dental-statistics-england-202324

What steps he has taken to increase the effectiveness of processing notifications under the National Security and Investment Act 2021.

The National Security and Investment (NSI) Act 2021 gives the Government power to scrutinise and intervene in acquisitions that may pose threats to national security, whilst also supporting secure and resilient growth. All sectors are within scope of the NSI Act, with acquisitions of entities related to 17 sensitive areas of the economy having to notify and receive approval from the Government before the acquisition can be completed. The Government is taking a number of steps to ensure the continued effectiveness of the NSI Act.The previous Government published a Call for Evidence in November 2023 and a response in April 2024. The Call for Evidence sought feedback from a wide range of stakeholders on the scope of the regime, the notification process and Government guidance and comms. The Government is currently considering its next steps, drawing on responses received.The Government will review and produce a report on the mandatory notification areas under the NSI Act, as required by section 4 of the Notifiable Acquisitions Regulations 2021, before January 2025.The Government will complete a Post-Implementation Review, as committed to in the NSI Act Impact Assessment, evaluating the effectiveness of the NSI Act. This is expected to be published in 2026.The Government regularly engages with stakeholders on the NSI Act, including speaking events, meetings and feedback exercises. The Government has published extensive guidance for businesses and investors. The NSI Act Market Guidance sets out what businesses and investors, including small and medium-sized businesses, need to be aware of and is available on GOV.UK. The guidance is kept under review to ensure it remains up to date. The “National Security & Investment Act 2021: Annual Report 2023-2024” published in September shows that the NSI system is continuing to run well and as intended. It demonstrates that we have the powers to protect sensitive sectors whilst continuing to support investment. Analysis to date has not found evidence of the Act affecting the total volume of investment into the UK. The UK’s approach to investment screening is in line with many other countries, including our close allies. We continue to work closely with international partners to draw on global best practice.

What proportion of patients at (a) Milton Keynes University Hospital and (b) Stoke Mandeville Hospital are discharged to social care.

The data below shows the proportion of patients who were discharged via pathways 1, 2, and 3. These pathways include both National Health Service and local authority funded services, with each pathway being defined as follows:pathway 1 involves discharge at home, or to a usual place of residence, with new or additional health or social care needs, or both;pathway 2 involves discharge to a community bed-based setting which has dedicated recovery support, with new or additional health or social care support, or both, required in the short-term to help the person recover in a community bed-based setting, before they are ready to either live independently at home or receive longer-term or ongoing care and support; andpathway 3 involves discharge to a new residential or nursing home setting, for people who are considered likely to need long-term residential or nursing home care, and should be used only in exceptional circumstances.We do not collect hospital level data on discharge pathways, therefore this data is not available for Stoke Mandeville Hospital. However, we do collect data by trust. For the Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust, which includes Stoke Mandeville Hospital, in September 2024, 4% of patients were discharged on pathway 1, 0.4% on pathway 2, and 0.4% on pathway 3.For the Milton Keynes University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust in September 2024, 7.3% of patients were discharged on pathway 1, 1.3% of patients on pathway 2, and 1.3% on pathway 3.

What assessment his Department has made of the availability of community mental health services in Buckinghamshire.

We recognise that too many people in places like Buckinghamshire are not receiving the mental health care they need.The Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire, Berkshire West Integrated Care Board is responsible for providing health and care services, including community mental health services, to meet the needs of the people of Buckinghamshire.As part of our mission to build a National Health Service that is fit for the future and that is there when people need it, the Government will recruit an additional 8,500 mental health workers to reduce delays and provide faster treatment which will also help ease pressure on busy mental health services.There are currently approximately 65 locally-funded early support hubs across England, offering early easy access mental health interventions to thousands of children and young people. The Department is running an £8 million Shared Outcomes Fund project throughout 2024/25 to boost and evaluate the impact of 24 of these existing early support hubs, which includes one based in High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, run by the Youth Enquiry Service.In addition, work is ongoing across Government to deliver our commitment to set up Young Futures hubs in every community, offering open access mental health services for young people.

What discussions he has held with his international counterparts on the implementation of the National Security and Investment Act 2021.

The National Security and Investment (NSI) Act 2021 gives the Government power to scrutinise and intervene in acquisitions that may pose threats to national security, whilst also supporting secure and resilient growth. All sectors are within scope of the NSI Act, with acquisitions of entities related to 17 sensitive areas of the economy having to notify and receive approval from the Government before the acquisition can be completed. The Government is taking a number of steps to ensure the continued effectiveness of the NSI Act.The previous Government published a Call for Evidence in November 2023 and a response in April 2024. The Call for Evidence sought feedback from a wide range of stakeholders on the scope of the regime, the notification process and Government guidance and comms. The Government is currently considering its next steps, drawing on responses received.The Government will review and produce a report on the mandatory notification areas under the NSI Act, as required by section 4 of the Notifiable Acquisitions Regulations 2021, before January 2025.The Government will complete a Post-Implementation Review, as committed to in the NSI Act Impact Assessment, evaluating the effectiveness of the NSI Act. This is expected to be published in 2026.The Government regularly engages with stakeholders on the NSI Act, including speaking events, meetings and feedback exercises. The Government has published extensive guidance for businesses and investors. The NSI Act Market Guidance sets out what businesses and investors, including small and medium-sized businesses, need to be aware of and is available on GOV.UK. The guidance is kept under review to ensure it remains up to date. The “National Security & Investment Act 2021: Annual Report 2023-2024” published in September shows that the NSI system is continuing to run well and as intended. It demonstrates that we have the powers to protect sensitive sectors whilst continuing to support investment. Analysis to date has not found evidence of the Act affecting the total volume of investment into the UK. The UK’s approach to investment screening is in line with many other countries, including our close allies. We continue to work closely with international partners to draw on global best practice.

What proportion of patients referred to mental health services in Milton Keynes are seen within the target waiting time.

The following table shows information on the agreed mental health waiting time standards relating to the NHS Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes Integrated Care Board, broken down by the services provided, and compared to their actual performance: ServiceWaiting time standardLatest reporting periodPerformanceEarly Intervention in Psychosis60% of referrals entering treatment within two weeksJune to August 202473%NHS Talking Therapies75% of referrals that finished a course of treatment waiting six weeks or less for first treatment contactAugust 202498%NHS Talking Therapies95% of referrals that finished a course of treatment waiting 18 weeks or less for first treatment contactAugust 2024100%Children and young people’s eating disorder services95% of children and young people referred for assessment or treatment for an eating disorder receiving National Institute for Health and Care Excellence approved treatment within one week if the case is urgent, and four weeks if the case is routine or non-urgent.June to August 2024Data suppressed due to fewer than five referrals entering treatment during the reporting periodSource: NHS England.