Written questions by Anderson.

What steps she plans to to take to monitor the outcomes of the Joint EU-UK Financial Regulatory Forum.

Financial regulatory dialogues, including the Joint EU-UK Financial Regulatory Forum, are important in supporting cross-border trade in financial services and managing financial stability in the global financial system. They form a core part of the government’s approach to strengthening international partnerships, as set out in the Financial Services Growth and Competitiveness Strategy published in July. Dialogues feed into HM Treasury’s development of international financial services policy and joint statements are typically published after meetings. The most recent Joint EU-UK Financial Regulatory Forum was held in Brussels on Wednesday 1 October, where officials discussed bilateral cooperation on financial regulatory issues including capital market reforms, where the government’s long-term vision for the UK’s world-leading markets is to encourage more retail investment to benefit our citizens, support British businesses to grow and position ourselves for the future. Further details of the discussion can be found in the Joint Statement.

How he monitors EU implementation of Trade and Co-operation Agreement provisions on energy market access.

The Government monitors EU implementation of the Trade and Cooperation Agreement, including provisions within the Energy Title, through the Agreement's established governance structures, in this case the Specialised Committee on Energy, the Trade Partnership Committee and the Specialised Committee on Technical Barriers to Trade as applicable. The Partnership Council, which oversees the attainment of the objectives of the Trade and Cooperation Agreement, provides strategic direction to this governance framework.

Innovation and Technology, what steps her Department is taking to monitor delivery of partnerships under the Tech Prosperity Deal.

As set out in the UK-US Tech Prosperity Deal’s public MoU, the UK and US intend to establish and convene a Ministerial-Level Working Group within six months of the MoU becoming operative, which will serve as a strategic forum to guide bilateral cooperation, set priorities and oversee the implementation of joint initiatives agreed. The UK and US will then meet annually to continue to assess progress and determine the scope and future of collaborative programmes.

Innovation and Technology, what estimate her Department has made of the value of research and development projects to be launched under the Tech Prosperity Deal in the next 12 months.

During the unveiling of the UK-US Technology Prosperity Deal in September 2025, over £31 billion worth of investments and partnerships into the UK were unveiled. These will focus on building new data centres and growing AI start-ups, cutting edge tech as well as developing advanced quantum computers.In the accompanying MoU, the UK and US committed to collaborate on further initiatives across AI, quantum and nuclear technologies. We are still in the process of scoping out these collaborations with US counterparts; it is too early to comment on their value.

What estimate he has made of the number jobs which will be created by US investment pledges made during President Trump's state visit in September 2025.

The commitments made as part of the state visit are expected to create over 15,000 jobs here in the United Kingdom (based on 7,600 jobs announced 17 September 2025 plus 8,250 jobs announced 16 September 2025).

What financial targets his Department has set to ensure that Great British Energy is self-sustaining by 2030.

The government has set a target for Great British Energy to start generating a portfolio-level return from its commercial activities by 2030, in support of its longer-term goal to be profitable and its wider policy objectives. The government has also tasked GBE with having a plan for becoming self-financing in place by 2030.

What estimate his Department has made of the potential share of Great British Energy’s portfolio to be allocated to early-stage clean energy technologies by 2030.

Great British Energy will begin investing in projects this year – kickstarting its work in the development of nascent, clean energy technologies and helping to deliver a secure, clean homegrown energy supply for the UK that will support skilled jobs and supply chains across the country. The Statement of Strategic Priorities requires Great British Energy to look across the clean energy technology spectrum, including in established technologies and nascent technologies (Technology Readiness Levels 6-9). The government expects GBE to work towards building a portfolio that balances the UK’s short- and long-term clean energy needs, which also provides social value and generates a return.

What criteria will be used to determine community access to Great British Energy (a) capacity-building and (b) financial support.

Great British Energy is an operationally independent company and will make its own decisions on how it supports the community energy sector. We expect initial plans to be published as part of the Local Power Plan, which will be published in due course. The Local Power Plan is a joint DESNZ and GBE strategy which will drive the long-term growth of the UK’s local and community energy sector over this Parliament.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the resources required to support the new Tenant Farmers Commissioner.

Defra has assessed the resources required to support the Commissioner for the Tenant Farming Sector based on other similar industry roles and insights from industry stakeholders on likely demand for the Commissioner’s services. This will be under continuous review to ensure the Commissioner’s services are delivered efficiently and effectively.

How he plans to (a) evaluate and (b) report on the linking of UK and EU Emissions Trading Schemes under the Trade and Cooperation Agreement.

The Government will provide updates on negotiations where appropriate. Once any agreement is made to link the UK and EU ETS, the Government will consider the process to evaluate and report on the link consistent with the agreement reached, as well as with other reset priorities under UK-EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement. The Government aims for negotiations to link the UK Emissions Trading Scheme (UK ETS) and EU Emissions Trading System (EU ETS) to begin as soon as possible.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to measure the effectiveness of the Tenant Farmers Commissioner’s work.

The Commissioner for the Tenant farming sector will report to the joint Defra and industry Farm Tenancy Forum on delivery of the Commissioner’s services, including on insights from engagement with the sector and the number and type of informal and formal complaints the Commissioner has received (unattributed and redacted). This will enable ongoing assessment of the effectiveness of and demand for the Commissioners services.

What estimate he has made of the number of 3-5 year olds who will join the supervised toothbrushing scheme in Buckingham and Bletchley constituency in each of the next five years.

The requested information is held at upper tier local authority rather than at constituency level. The national supervised toothbrushing programme targets 1,830 people aged between three- and five- years old living in the 20% most deprived Lower Super Output Areas of Buckinghamshire Council and Milton Keynes City Council (ONS Indices of Multiple Deprivation mid-2020 population estimates). The final number of children participating in schemes will be determined by rates of local participation at individual settings.

How her Department will allocate the £1 billion additional funding for HMRC across tax gap initiatives.

HMRC will allocate the additional funding at Autumn Budget 2024 and Spring Statement 2025 to close the tax gap predominately to frontline staff and digital services, including: 5,500 additional frontline compliance officers2,400 additional debt management staffinvestment in debt case management systemsplacing additional tax debts with private debt collection agenciesdelivering Making Tax Digital for income tax self-assessmentdigitalising the Inheritance Tax service to provide a modern, easy-to-use system, that makes submitting returns and paying tax simpler and quicker As well as these investments, we introduced measures to:Increase the interest rate on unpaid taxChange the tax rules on liquidations of Limited Liability PartnershipsPrevent non-compliance from the transfer overseas of UK tax-relieved pension fundsModernise and mandate registration of tax practitioners interacting with HMRC

What the role Great British Energy will be in energy (a) planning and (b) consenting when acting as a co-developer.

Great British Energy (GBE) will invest in, own, and develop clean energy projects throughout all stages of their life cycle, from early development through to successful operation. This will include leading on developing projects itself, as well as being an engaged and proactive co-developer with the private sector, public landowners, devolved and local government, community energy groups, and wider public finance institutions and bodies. Projects that GBE develops will be taken forward through the planning and consenting system in the same way as any other commercial project.

Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of (a) visa, (b) work-permit, (c) transport and (d) administrative costs under the UK-EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement on UK touring artists.

This government recognises that touring in Europe has become more difficult for UK artists. We closely monitor the impact of current arrangements on the ability of UK performers and their crews to work and tour in Europe, including the additional time, cost and complexity involved in securing visas and permits and transporting equipment and goods between the UK and EU. These barriers make it harder for UK performers to plan and deliver tours, particularly for smaller and emerging artists for whom European tours present a crucial stepping stone to forge professional connections and establish careers. The UK and EU share a strong interest in ensuring that artists and audiences on both sides continue to benefit from cultural exchange. European audiences gain from the access to British artists, and venues, festivals and business across Europe benefit from the talent, local economic activity and cultural benefits that touring generates. As agreed at the inaugural UK-EU Summit, we are committed to deepening UK-EU cultural exchange, including the activities of touring artists. We are carefully considering the most effective ways to do this, and continue to engage with the European Commission, European Member States, and the arts and creative sectors. Addressing the challenges faced by our sectors is a key part of our broader strategy to strengthen and grow the UK’s creative industries, as set out in our Creative Industries Sector Plan.

What baseline data his Department holds on the number of hospital tooth extractions among 5-9 year olds in (a) Milton Keynes and (b) Buckinghamshire.

The Office for Health Improvement and Disparities (OHID) publishes annual official statistics on tooth extractions, which include five- to nine-year-olds, that take place in a National Health Service hospital setting in England. The following table shows the number of finished consultant episodes (FCEs) for all tooth extractions and for tooth extraction with dental caries, also known as tooth decay, as the primary diagnosis code, for the 2023/24 financial year, for children aged five to nine years who reside in Buckinghamshire and Milton Keynes: All tooth extractionsTooth decay-related tooth extractionsBuckinghamshire11595Milton Keynes4035Source: OHID’s annual statistics on tooth extractions for zero to 19 year olds that take place in an NHS hospital setting in England, available at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/hospital-based-tooth-extractions-in-0-to-19-year-olds Notes:Buckinghamshire refers to the local authority, Buckinghamshire Council;Milton Keynes refers to Milton Keynes lower tier local authority, Milton Keynes City Council;al sub-national FCE counts are rounded to the nearest five as per NHS Digital’s disclosure controls;figures show the number of FCEs, not the number of individual children who received these treatments, and therefore one child may have had more than one FCE; anda quality note on the data is available at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/analysis-of-tooth-extractions-in-hospital-methods-and-data-quality/data-quality-and-disclosure-control-for-hospital-based-tooth-extraction-data

How many and what proportion of the 23 million (a) toothbrushes and (b) toothpastes will be provided to early years settings in Buckingham and Bletchley constituency.

The information is not available at constituency level. In 2025/26, Buckinghamshire Council and Milton Keynes City Council have received 5,544 toothbrushes for use in early years settings, 4,812 toothpastes and 3,660 toothbrushes for children to take home. This equates to a proportion of 0.3% of the total allocation of products from our partnership with Colgate-Palmolive for this year. Product allocations are based on the number of 3-to-5-year children living in the 20% most deprived areas in England. Allocation of products for subsequent years will be confirmed in partnership with the councils and Colgate-Palmolive.

Food and Rural Affairs, how she plans to assess progress towards establishing the proposed UK–EU Sanitary and Phytosanitary zone under the Trade and Cooperation Agreement.

This autumn we expect to start the detailed negotiations on the SPS agreement, as well as the other commitments from our summit in May Defra has established a programme to deliver the work required to implement a UK-EU SPS agreement. This is already part of the Government Major Projects Portfolio, with regular progress reporting into the National Infrastructure and Service Transformation Authority.

Food and Rural Affairs, what methodology her Department plans to use to assess the effectiveness of the revised emergency authorisation guidance in reducing harm to bee populations.

Defra has developed a Pesticide Load Indicator which combines data on quantities used with data on the properties of each pesticide. The indicator illustrates trends in the potential pressure on the environment arising from the use of pesticides. The metrics for bees indicate a very substantial reduction in load in recent years, due in large part to the end of widespread use of three neonicotinoid pesticides which carry risks to bee populations.The National Honey Monitoring Scheme supports estimates of honeybee exposure to pesticides. Defra also contributes funding for the Pollinator Monitoring Scheme, which tracks changes in numbers across the UK.Defra will continue to monitor trends in these metrics and other data to ensure that risks from pesticides to bees, including the risks of any pesticides given emergency authorisation, are being kept to acceptable levels.

Food and Rural Affairs, what proportion of pesticides used under emergency authorisations will be subject to risk assessments under the new guidance.

The new guidance applies to all applications for emergency authorisation of pesticides. All such applications will therefore be subject to assessments of risks to people, animals and the environment, including risks to pollinators.