Written questions by Anderson.

What assessment she has made of recent trends in levels of rural crime rates in Buckinghamshire in the last five years.

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) publishes estimates, from the Crime Survey for England and Wales (CSEW), on the proportion of adults who had been a victim of crime. This is broken down by whether the household was located in a rural or urban location. The latest data can be found here:https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/crimeandjustice/datasets/crimeinenglandandwalesannualtrendanddemographictables/currentData is not available for county areas such as Buckinghamshire.This Government is determined to tackle rural crime and is committed to safeguarding rural communities, with tougher measures to clamp down on anti-social behaviour, strengthened neighbourhood policing, and stronger laws to prevent farm theft.We are taking a new approach by working closely with the National Police Chief’s Council to develop the next iteration of the Rural and Wildlife Crime Strategy, to ensure the government’s Safer Streets Mission benefits every community no matter where they live, including rural communities.This new financial year the Home Office will be providing the first funding since 2023 for the National Rural Crime Unit (£365,000) as well as continuing funding for the National Wildlife Crime Unit (£450,000). This will allow these specialist units to continue their work in tackling rural and wildlife crime which can pose unique challenges for policing given the scale and isolation of rural areas.

Communities and Local Government, how many new homes have been built in (a) Buckinghamshire and (b) Milton Keynes in each of the last five years.

The Department publishes an annual release entitled ‘Housing supply: net additional dwellings, England’, which is the primary and most comprehensive measure of housing supply. This includes estimates of new homes built in each local authority, including Buckinghamshire and Milton Keynes, in each financial year. Statistics to 2023-24 can be found in Live Table 123 on gov.uk here. The Department also publishes a quarterly release entitled ‘Housing supply: Indicators of New Supply, England’, which includes estimates of new build starts and completions in England and in each local authority district. Statistics to the quarter ending December 2024 can be found in Table 253a on gov.uk here. This dataset covers new build dwellings only and should be regarded as a leading indicator of overall housing supply.

Communities and Local Government, what funding her Department has provided for local infrastructure improvements related to housing development in (a) Buckinghamshire and (b) Milton Keynes in each of the last five years.

The table below lists infrastructure projects in Buckinghamshire and Milton Keynes that have received capital funding through the Housing Infrastructure Fund (HIF), the Land Release Fund (LRF), or the Brownfield Land Release Fund (BLRF) to unlock housing developments in the last five years, up to 31 December 2024.FundSchemeLocation20/2121/2222/2323/2424/25TotalHIFAylesbury Garden TownBuckinghamshire£8.6m£30.0m£23.0m£0.1m£10.0m£71.7mHIFPrinces Risborough Expansion AreaBuckinghamshire-£5.1m£0.2m--£5.3mHIFRealignment of Abbey Barn Lane (project since withdrawn)Buckinghamshire£0.8m£0.4m--£0.2m £1.0mHIFMilton Keynes East Sustainable Urban ExpansionMilton Keynes£2.0m£9.1m£2.2m£53.8m£27.4m£94.6mLRF 2Wing LRFBuckinghamshire£0.2m £0.2mBLRF 2.2Old Country OfficesBuckinghamshire £0.7m £0.7m

What steps his Department is taking to expand UK-based production of critical components for defence equipment.

This Government is committed to supporting UK based manufacturers, including producers of the vital components used within our defence programmes, and will bring forward a new Defence Industrial Strategy later this year to align the imperatives of national security and a high-growth economy. The Government has been clear that it will use the additional investment in defence announced by the Prime Minister on 25 February 2025 to maximise jobs, growth, skills and innovation in the UK. This investment in defence will protect UK citizens from threats and also create a secure and stable environment in which businesses can thrive, supporting the Government’s number one mission to deliver economic growth.

What recent assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of the availability of skilled workers for the defence manufacturing sector.

This Government recognises the critical importance of supporting the defence sector in order to benefit from the skilled workforce needed to sustain a vibrant, innovative and competitive defence industrial base.Defence supports Defence Industry apprenticeships and graduate opportunities, including national apprenticeship awards, National Apprenticeship Week, the Apprenticeship Ambassador Network, and university careers fairs.There is also ongoing engagement between defence and industry to address sector-wide issues, including recruitment and retention challenges. A dedicated joint MOD-industry working group is collaborating to identify and address skills gaps, including around UK defence sector STEM challenges.

What steps his Department is taking to support the growth of UK-base defence (a) start-ups and (b) small businesses.

Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs), including start-ups, make a vital contribution to economic growth and are a valuable source of technical innovation in defence. This is recognised in the Defence Industrial Strategy Statement of Intent, as well as the Department’s Social Value policies. We work with our largest suppliers through a network of their SME Champions, trade associations and SME representatives to ensure that SMEs have fair access to opportunities in our supply chain and that our prime contractors are adopting policies, such as fair payment practices, that support small businesses working in defence. We have announced the launch of a new hub to provide SMEs with better access to the defence supply chain and have committed to set direct SME spending targets for the Ministry of Defence by June this year, ensuring that thousands of small businesses in the UK will benefit from the decision to increase defence spending to 2.5% of GDP. This is a chance for small, often family-owned, firms to bring their innovations, agility and their expert workforce to the task of strengthening Britain’s defences.

What assessment he has made of the potential merits of increasing the levels of UK-produced components in defence procurement programmes.

This Government is committed to supporting UK based manufacturers, including producers of the vital components used within our defence programmes, and will bring forward a new Defence Industrial Strategy later this year to align the imperatives of national security and a high-growth economy. The Government has been clear that it will use the additional investment in defence announced by the Prime Minister on 25 February 2025 to maximise jobs, growth, skills and innovation in the UK. This investment in defence will protect UK citizens from threats and also create a secure and stable environment in which businesses can thrive, supporting the Government’s number one mission to deliver economic growth.

What steps his Department is taking to support (a) apprenticeships and (b) skills development in the defence manufacturing sector.

This Government recognises the critical importance of supporting the defence sector in order to benefit from the skilled workforce needed to sustain a vibrant, innovative and competitive defence industrial base.Defence supports Defence Industry apprenticeships and graduate opportunities, including national apprenticeship awards, National Apprenticeship Week, the Apprenticeship Ambassador Network, and university careers fairs.There is also ongoing engagement between defence and industry to address sector-wide issues, including recruitment and retention challenges. A dedicated joint MOD-industry working group is collaborating to identify and address skills gaps, including around UK defence sector STEM challenges.

What recent assessment he has made of the potential merits of expanding UK-based (a) maintenance and (b) upgrading facilities for defence assets.

No recent assessments have been conducted on expanding UK based maintenance for Ministry of Defence (MOD) built assets. The MOD is investing in upgraded facilities to improve living, working and training environments in UK sites.

What steps his Department is taking to promote exports from (a) defence and (b) aerospace manufacturers.

DBT works with defence and aerospace companies to open markets, tackle trade disputes, provide SME support, and connect business to export opportunities.Through the Aerospace Growth Partnership and Aerospace Technology Institute programme we support industry to increase supply chain productivity, competitiveness, innovation and exports. In defence, we work with industry to develop campaigns which pursue a ten-year pipeline of global opportunities. In 2023 the UK won £14.5bn defence orders; and in 2024 exported £23bn of domestically produced aerospace goods.The Industrial Strategy will set out our further support for these sectors.

What recent assessment he has made of the potential impact of foreign investment on the UK defence industrial base.

The UK’s defence industry plays a vital role not only in our national security but also to the economic prosperity and growth of the UK. We want to boost investment in our defence industry, including from overseas, and the Defence Industrial Strategy will align our security and economic priorities to boost the prosperity of our people across the country, provide resilience for the UK, and ensure the credibility of our deterrence. The investment in defence announced by the Prime Minister on 25 February 2025 will protect UK citizens from threats and create a secure and stable environment in which businesses of all sizes can thrive. Alongside this, the Defence Industrial Strategy will consider how best to create the conditions needed for the private sector to invest more. We will maximise opportunities of dual-use technology and sectors to bring in investment that supports the broader industrial strategy as well as benefiting Defence. Equally this Government recognises that foreign investment can bring threats and risks as well as opportunity. The National Security and Investment Act is part of a robust system for scrutinising and where necessary intervening to protect national security, while providing businesses and investors with the certainty and transparency they need to do business in the UK.

What recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of domestic industrial capacity to support defence supply chains.

This Government is bringing forward a Defence Industrial Strategy that will ensure a strong Defence sector and resilient supply chains across the whole of the UK. The Statement of Intent for the Defence Industrial Strategy, published in December 2024, set out a commitment to prioritising UK businesses for investment and boosting sovereign capacity. Through the Defence Industrial Strategy and the Strategic Defence Review, the Ministry of Defence is currently undertaking a review and reconfirmation of sovereign capabilities required onshore. The Department is also actively improving the capabilities of the UK’s Defence sector through initiatives such as the Defence Supplier Capability Development Programme and the new support hub for small and medium enterprises that the Prime Minister announced on 3 March 2025.

What assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of foreign direct investment screening mechanisms on UK economic sovereignty.

The UK balances an open investment environment to facilitate growth while protecting the areas of our economy that are the most sensitive to national security. The National Security and Investment Act supports our economic sovereignty by giving us power to intervene where we need to, while allowing the vast majority of inward investment to proceed.The NSI Act was inspired by, and brought the UK’s approach to investment screening in line with, many other countries, including our close allies. The Act is a product of close international cooperation to ensure the UK’s investment screening regime draws on global best practice.

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of employee share schemes on staff retention in UK companies.

The Government offers four tax-advantaged employee share schemes, which all enable employers to offer their employees tax-advantaged shares or share options in their business. These are Save as You Earn (SAYE), Share Incentive Plan (SIP), Enterprise Management Incentives (EMI), and Company Share Option Plan (CSOP). These schemes are popular, generous and internationally competitive. A call for evidence on SAYE and SIP ran from June to August 2023. It sought views on whether the schemes are meeting their policy objectives and opportunities to improve and simplify them. The Government is considering the responses to the call for evidence, and is grateful to those who took the time to respond. In 2021-22, a review of the EMI scheme found that the scheme remained effective at achieving its policy aims, including employee retention. The review was expanded to consider if CSOP should be reformed to further support companies as they grow beyond the scope of EMI. Following this report, CSOP limits were expanded from April 2023. The Government keeps all tax reliefs under review, to ensure they continue to meet their policy objectives in a way that is fair and effective. HMRC release annual statistics on the tax-advantaged employee share schemes, which can be found at GOV.UK here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/employee-share-scheme-statistics

What steps her Department is taking to support businesses in offering employee share schemes.

The Government offers four tax-advantaged employee share schemes, which all enable employers to offer their employees tax-advantaged shares or share options in their business. These are Save as You Earn (SAYE), Share Incentive Plan (SIP), Enterprise Management Incentives (EMI), and Company Share Option Plan (CSOP). These schemes are popular, generous and internationally competitive. A call for evidence on SAYE and SIP ran from June to August 2023. It sought views on whether the schemes are meeting their policy objectives and opportunities to improve and simplify them. The Government is considering the responses to the call for evidence, and is grateful to those who took the time to respond. In 2021-22, a review of the EMI scheme found that the scheme remained effective at achieving its policy aims, including employee retention. The review was expanded to consider if CSOP should be reformed to further support companies as they grow beyond the scope of EMI. Following this report, CSOP limits were expanded from April 2023. The Government keeps all tax reliefs under review, to ensure they continue to meet their policy objectives in a way that is fair and effective. HMRC release annual statistics on the tax-advantaged employee share schemes, which can be found at GOV.UK here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/employee-share-scheme-statistics

What steps her Department has taken to raise awareness of employee share schemes among small and medium-sized businesses.

The Government offers four tax-advantaged employee share schemes, which all enable employers to offer their employees tax-advantaged shares or share options in their business. These are Save as You Earn (SAYE), Share Incentive Plan (SIP), Enterprise Management Incentives (EMI), and Company Share Option Plan (CSOP). These schemes are popular, generous and internationally competitive. A call for evidence on SAYE and SIP ran from June to August 2023. It sought views on whether the schemes are meeting their policy objectives and opportunities to improve and simplify them. The Government is considering the responses to the call for evidence, and is grateful to those who took the time to respond. In 2021-22, a review of the EMI scheme found that the scheme remained effective at achieving its policy aims, including employee retention. The review was expanded to consider if CSOP should be reformed to further support companies as they grow beyond the scope of EMI. Following this report, CSOP limits were expanded from April 2023. The Government keeps all tax reliefs under review, to ensure they continue to meet their policy objectives in a way that is fair and effective. HMRC release annual statistics on the tax-advantaged employee share schemes, which can be found at GOV.UK here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/employee-share-scheme-statistics

What recent assessment she has made of the effectiveness of (a) Company Share Option Plans, (b) Save As You Earn and (c) Share Incentive Plans in encouraging employee ownership.

The Government offers four tax-advantaged employee share schemes, which all enable employers to offer their employees tax-advantaged shares or share options in their business. These are Save as You Earn (SAYE), Share Incentive Plan (SIP), Enterprise Management Incentives (EMI), and Company Share Option Plan (CSOP). These schemes are popular, generous and internationally competitive. A call for evidence on SAYE and SIP ran from June to August 2023. It sought views on whether the schemes are meeting their policy objectives and opportunities to improve and simplify them. The Government is considering the responses to the call for evidence, and is grateful to those who took the time to respond. In 2021-22, a review of the EMI scheme found that the scheme remained effective at achieving its policy aims, including employee retention. The review was expanded to consider if CSOP should be reformed to further support companies as they grow beyond the scope of EMI. Following this report, CSOP limits were expanded from April 2023. The Government keeps all tax reliefs under review, to ensure they continue to meet their policy objectives in a way that is fair and effective. HMRC release annual statistics on the tax-advantaged employee share schemes, which can be found at GOV.UK here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/employee-share-scheme-statistics

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps British International Investment is taking to ensure that investments strengthen commercial relationships between the UK and partner countries.

British International Investment's (BII) investments are building markets in partner countries that are stimulating economic growth. This also develops future UK trade and investment opportunities.BII invest in sectors where it can have the most developmental impact. These tend to also align with areas of UK commercial strength, including financial services, clean energy, and digital. Examples of this modern approach to development include BII's partnership with Standard Chartered Bank which has enabled $10 billion in trade volumes across Africa and Asia since 2013 and BII's partnership with Vodafone that has brought down the cost of mobile services by up to 70 per cent in Ethiopia, and a new £100 million Mobilisation Facility to de-risk institutional investors such as those in the City of London to accelerate climate-focussed investments in developing countries. We will continue to work with BII to focus and maximise the impact of its work in line with our missions and the wider geopolitical situation.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps British International Investment is taking to align investment decisions with the Government’s (a) missions and (b) development objectives.

British International Investment's (BII) investment decisions are taken within a framework agreed and aligned with the Government's mission and development objectives. BII is delivering on the Government's ambitions on growth, accelerating the clean energy transition, and unlocking private capital for development impact. In 2023 alone, BII-backed businesses operating in developing countries provided jobs for over one million people, paid $2.4 billion in taxes in partner countries, and generated 59 TWh of electricity.The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) and BII ensure this strategic alignment through governance arrangements that follow best practice guidance from Cabinet Office and HM Treasury with robust lines of accountability between FCDO and BII. We will continue to work with BII to focus and maximise the impact of its work in line with our missions and the wider geopolitical situation.

What steps he is taking to help improve the representation of women in senior leadership positions within large (a) public and (b) private companies.

Promoting equal opportunities for women is a key part of this Government's Plan for Change, ensuring fair access to the best jobs. To that end, the Department for Business and Trade sponsors the FTSE Women Leaders Review, which collaborates with the UK's top public and private companies to achieve at least 40% representation of women on boards and at senior management levels.The 2025 report evidences real progress in representation of women leaders across the top of UK businesses. The Government will continue to work with UK business and the Review to ensure the continuation of this promising momentum.