Written questions by Reed.

What estimate her Department has made of the number of farmers affected by the withdrawal of Agricultural Property Relief in (a) East Devon and (b) Exmouth and Exeter East constituency.

The Government published information about the reforms to agricultural property relief and business property relief at www.gov.uk/government/publications/agricultural-property-relief-and-business-property-relief-reforms, and further explanatory information at https://www.gov.uk/government/news/what-are-the-changes-to-agricultural-property-relief. Around 500 estates across the UK are expected to be affected each year from 2026-27. In accordance with standard practice, a tax information and impact note will be published alongside the draft legislation before the relevant Finance Bill.

If she will make an assessment of the potential impact of changes to Agricultural Property Relief on tenants' access to (a) land and (b) secure tenancy agreements.

The Government published information about the reforms to agricultural property relief and business property relief at www.gov.uk/government/publications/agricultural-property-relief-and-business-property-relief-reforms, and further explanatory information at https://www.gov.uk/government/news/what-are-the-changes-to-agricultural-property-relief. Around 500 estates across the UK are expected to be affected each year from 2026-27. In accordance with standard practice, a tax information and impact note will be published alongside the draft legislation before the relevant Finance Bill.

What assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of changes to agricultural property relief on the sustainability of domestic food production.

The Government published information about the reforms to agricultural property relief and business property relief at www.gov.uk/government/publications/agricultural-property-relief-and-business-property-relief-reforms, and further explanatory information at https://www.gov.uk/government/news/what-are-the-changes-to-agricultural-property-relief. Around 500 estates across the UK are expected to be affected each year from 2026-27. In accordance with standard practice, a tax information and impact note will be published alongside the draft legislation before the relevant Finance Bill.

What fiscal steps she is taking to encourage (a) innovation and (b) entrepreneurship among SMEs.

Small businesses and entrepreneurs are vital to high streets and communities, and essential to the success of the Government’s growth mission.At the Budget, the Government announced we would be continuing funding for key business support programmes in 2025-26: Growth Hubs in England, and the Help to Grow: Management programme. We also announced we are extending Made Smarter Innovation with up to £37m funding. Funding for the Made Smarter Adoption programme will double to £16 million in 2025-26, supporting more small manufacturing businesses to adopt advanced digital technologies and enabling the programme to be expanded to all nine English regions.Prior to the Budget, the Government also extended the Enterprise Investment Scheme and Venture Capital Trust schemes to 2035. The schemes are designed to encourage investment into new or young companies through tax-relief incentives, encouraging innovation, creating jobs and stimulating economic growth.

What steps he is taking to ensure that the defence industrial base is prepared to support military readiness.

This Government is committed to bringing forward a Defence Industrial Strategy which ensures the imperatives of national security and a high-growth economy are aligned. The strategy will deliver a better, more innovative and more resilient defence sector to support military readiness. It will enable the UK to innovate at speed and better support its Armed Forces, deter its adversaries and seize opportunities presented by the technologies of the future.

What steps he is taking to promote collaboration with the private sector to boost domestic production capabilities in critical defence technologies.

This Government is committed to bringing forward a Defence Industrial Strategy which ensures the imperatives of national security and a high-growth economy are aligned. The strategy will boost capabilities in critical defence technologies and enable the UK to better collaborate with the private sector. We will develop a resilient, adaptive and collaborative defence supply chain that improves our warfighting readiness while acting as a credible deterrent, enabled by stronger collaboration between the Ministry of Defence and industry while also helping to drive economic growth.

If he will make an assessment of the potential impact of the F-35 programme on (a) the economy, (b) jobs, (c) technological advancement and (d) growth in the (i) aerospace and (ii) defence sectors.

The F-35B Lightning is a 5th Generation, swing-role combat aircraft equipped with advanced sensors, mission systems and stealth technology. Whether operating from land or onboard the Queen Elizabeth Class aircraft carriers it is a central component of the UK's Combat Air for decades to come. The unrivalled sensor, avionics and weapon employment capabilities of the platform will also undergo continual modernisation to ensure we stay ahead of emerging and proliferating threats. UK international influence is delivered through the cutting-edge expeditionary capability of the Lightning, able to rapidly deploy and integrate seamlessly with NATO, the Joint Expeditionary Force, and Allies and Partners across the globe.Through Lockheed Martin and the Joint Program Office approximately 15% of every F-35 aircraft delivered globally is manufactured by UK companies. The UK is the design authority for a range of significant Lightning aircraft components, securing highly skilled jobs within the UK and providing significant economic benefit. For example, the rear fuselage, batteries, ejector seats and actuators are manufactured in the UK for the entire F-35 global fleet. This manufacturing and equipment support for the global fleet of F-35 includes over 100 UK-based Tier 1 suppliers and has created over 20,000 jobs in the UK.

What steps he is taking to ensure that the Army has one fully deployable division; and if he will increase that capability to two divisions.

The British Army has two deployable divisions: 1 (UK) Division and 3 (UK) Division.

With reference to paragraph 2.40 of the Autumn Budget 2024, published on 30 October, whether she has made an assessment of the long-term impact of national insurance increases on the ability of SMEs to invest in (a) growth, (b) innovation and (c) job creation.

The Government has protected the smallest businesses from the impact of the increase to employers’ National Insurance by increasing the Employment Allowance from £5,000 to £10,500, which means that 865,000 employers will pay no employer NICs at all next year. More than half of employers will see no change or will gain overall from this package and eligible employers will be able to employ up to four full-time workers on the National Living Wage and pay no employer NICs.A Tax Information and Impact Note regarding these changes was published by HMRC on 13 November.

If he will make an assessment of the potential impact of the F-35 programme on the UK's (a) military capability and (b) international influence.

The F-35B Lightning is a 5th Generation, swing-role combat aircraft equipped with advanced sensors, mission systems and stealth technology. Whether operating from land or onboard the Queen Elizabeth Class aircraft carriers it is a central component of the UK's Combat Air for decades to come. The unrivalled sensor, avionics and weapon employment capabilities of the platform will also undergo continual modernisation to ensure we stay ahead of emerging and proliferating threats. UK international influence is delivered through the cutting-edge expeditionary capability of the Lightning, able to rapidly deploy and integrate seamlessly with NATO, the Joint Expeditionary Force, and Allies and Partners across the globe.Through Lockheed Martin and the Joint Program Office approximately 15% of every F-35 aircraft delivered globally is manufactured by UK companies. The UK is the design authority for a range of significant Lightning aircraft components, securing highly skilled jobs within the UK and providing significant economic benefit. For example, the rear fuselage, batteries, ejector seats and actuators are manufactured in the UK for the entire F-35 global fleet. This manufacturing and equipment support for the global fleet of F-35 includes over 100 UK-based Tier 1 suppliers and has created over 20,000 jobs in the UK.