Written questions by Anderson.

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.

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 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 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, 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.

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, 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.

Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions his Department has had with the Environment Agency on the prioritisation of flood resilience measures under the national investment programme in Buckingham and Bletchley constituency.

We are investing a record £2.65 billion in 2024/25 and 2025/26 to improve flood resilience by maintaining, repairing and building flood defences. The full list of over 700 schemes to benefit from fresh funding this year was announced on 31 March 2024 and can be found here. Property Flood Resilience measures can be effective in managing the risk of flooding. This option will always be considered and assessed alongside a range of other Flood Risk Management solutions to determine which is the most suitable for the community at risk. In 2011, 96 properties in Buckingham were provided with Property Flood Resilience, with an expected benefits period of 20 years.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department has taken to ensure that schemes funded through the flood investment programme are resilient to climate change risk scenarios.

The Environment Agency’s (EA) flood and coastal erosion risk management (FCERM) Appraisal Guidance factors climate change allowances into the design of all FCERM schemes. This ensures that projects in the EA’s investment programme provide good value for money, are fit for the future, or can be adapted over time to mitigate future increases in flood risk. The recently published new national flood risk assessment and national coastal erosion risk map account for climate change and underpin all flood risk planning and investment activities.

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.

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.

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, 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 steps her Department is planning to take to monitor training uptake among early years staff for delivery of the revised phonics-based framework.

The writing framework builds on the success of the government’s reading framework and its focus on phonics teaching, which has seen 100,000 more children every year build strong foundations in reading.The writing framework is the department’s first step in a longer-term strategy to support schools to improve writing teaching and attainment. Given the department’s commitment to a record 75% of children reaching a good level of development at the end of reception by 2028, we encourage schools to prioritise reception year, particularly early literacy skills such as writing.The writing framework emphasises the important role that reception year plays in building the foundations for writing which supports children throughout primary school and underpins their success at the end of key stage 2. The department has advised that during the 2025/26 academic year, schools should read the writing framework and use the audits to evaluate their current provision and plan improvements.English Hubs will conduct webinars throughout the 2025/26 academic year, aimed at teachers and subject leads, focusing on the key messages and section summaries of the framework.

What recent discussions her Department has had with early years providers on the implementation of the new phonics-inspired framework.

The writing framework builds on the success of the government’s reading framework and its focus on phonics teaching, which has seen 100,000 more children every year build strong foundations in reading.The writing framework is the department’s first step in a longer-term strategy to support schools to improve writing teaching and attainment. Given the department’s commitment to a record 75% of children reaching a good level of development at the end of reception by 2028, we encourage schools to prioritise reception year, particularly early literacy skills such as writing.The writing framework emphasises the important role that reception year plays in building the foundations for writing which supports children throughout primary school and underpins their success at the end of key stage 2. The department has advised that during the 2025/26 academic year, schools should read the writing framework and use the audits to evaluate their current provision and plan improvements.English Hubs will conduct webinars throughout the 2025/26 academic year, aimed at teachers and subject leads, focusing on the key messages and section summaries of the framework.

Whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of including (a) semiconductors, (b) offshore wind and (c) digital infrastructure in further bilateral investment co-operation under the investment pillar of the UK–Taiwan Enhanced Trade Partnership.

As set out in the UK’s Trade Strategy, flexible trading arrangements and partnerships, such as the UK-Taiwan Enhanced Trade Partnership (ETP), are a valuable part of our toolkit.The Investment Pillar of the ETP, along with the Digital Trade and Energy & Net Zero Pillars, sets out commitments on our respective trade and investment environments and frameworks. Our cooperation through the ETP will support trade and investment across all sectors, especially in the growth driving sectors outlined in the Modern Industrial Strategy. In particular, we will be focusing our implementation activities on complementary strengths between the UK and Taiwan, including in Advanced Manufacturing, Offshore Wind and Digital Infrastructure.My department will keep businesses informed as we work with Taiwan to deliver our commitments under the ETP.

Whether his Department plans to publish a roadmap for the implementation of the commitments made under the investment pillar of the UK–Taiwan Enhanced Trade Partnership.

As set out in the UK’s Trade Strategy, flexible trading arrangements and partnerships, such as the UK-Taiwan Enhanced Trade Partnership (ETP), are a valuable part of our toolkit.The Investment Pillar of the ETP, along with the Digital Trade and Energy & Net Zero Pillars, sets out commitments on our respective trade and investment environments and frameworks. Our cooperation through the ETP will support trade and investment across all sectors, especially in the growth driving sectors outlined in the Modern Industrial Strategy. In particular, we will be focusing our implementation activities on complementary strengths between the UK and Taiwan, including in Advanced Manufacturing, Offshore Wind and Digital Infrastructure.My department will keep businesses informed as we work with Taiwan to deliver our commitments under the ETP.

What steps his Department will take to encourage (a) awareness and (b) take-up of UK Export Finance products by SMEs planning to trade with Taiwan.

In addition to its suite of products to help SMEs export, UK Export Finance (UKEF) has a network of Export Finance Managers (EFMs) around the whole of the UK who can provide information to exporters of all sizes on a range of subjects, including trading across a range of markets. The EFMs’ contact details can be found at: Find an Export Finance Manager - GOV.UKThe Department for Business and Trade maintains a strong relationship with Taiwan and in particular, a shared ambition to grow trade. The full range of UKEF products and services is available to support potential exporters to Taiwan, and for longer-term contracts, local currency financing is available. UKEF works with DBT officials based in the British Office in Taipei, and has supported many transactions in Taiwan in recent years, and on specifically on 10 July announced it is providing a guarantee for a major offshore wind farm. This will allow four exporters across the UK to secure contracts, and will support jobs across the UK’s renewable energy supply chain.

What assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the discussions on transition credits at the 10th UK-Singapore Financial Dialogue with Strengthened Collaboration in Digital Finance & Innovation and Sustainable Finance, which took place on 2 July 2025, on the UK’s regulatory approach to voluntary carbon markets.

The UK-Singapore Financial Dialogue took place on 2 July 2025. Both the UK and Singapore recognised the importance of collaborating to promote high-integrity carbon markets. The use of transition credits to support emissions reductions in hard-to-abate sectors was discussed between both countries. As co-chair of the Powering Past Coal Alliance, the UK supports the work of the France-Indonesia co-led Coal Transition Commission that recognises the potential of transition credits to accelerate coal plant closures as part of a possible solution set. If designed and executed properly, transition credit methodologies could help bridge the financial gap that often hinders early retirement of coal plants in emerging markets and developing economies, while supporting a just transition for affected communities. A consultation on steps Government could take to raise integrity and scale in voluntary carbon markets closed on July 10. It sought views on how the UK’s Principles for Carbon and Nature Market Integrity, announced by the Chancellor last year, could be put into practice.

What assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of EDF increasing its equity stake in Sizewell C to on the adequacy of the project's (a) commercial financing model and (b) risk allocation among public and private stakeholders.

EDF has announced it will in principle invest into Sizewell C such that its stake in the project would be 12.5% following a final investment decision (FID). Details of the commercial structure of Sizewell C are commercially sensitive as we conclude the capital raise process – further details will be published at the point of FID. Sizewell C is expected to support around 10,000 jobs at peak construction and thousands more in the wider supply chain, as well as creating 1,500 apprenticeships. Sizewell C has 3500 UK suppliers and plans to award 70% of construction value to UK businesses. This Government is committed to attracting the investment required to deliver future nuclear projects. The UK has long established relationships with international partners considering civil nuclear deployment.