Blake Stephenson MP: written questions
1633 published records · newest first.
Written questions
Fossil FuelsDepartment for Energy Security and Net ZeroTabled 25 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 48233More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, if he will make an estimate of the total value of fossil fuels in the UK which have not yet been extracted.
Answer: The volumes, commercial recoverability and ultimate value of unextracted fossil fuels in the UK are all influenced by several factors and as such, a single figure of total value has not been calculated by the Department.
Answered 6 May 2025
Original Parliament recordNatural Gas: Rural AreasDepartment for Energy Security and Net ZeroTabled 25 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 48232More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what support his Department plans to provide to rural communities that are off the grid to connect to mains Gas Distribution Networks.
Answer: Any new gas mains connections to rural communities are a commercial decision between the relevant gas distribution network and the connecting property or properties. There are currently no plans to introduce new government support schemes for new gas conn...
Answered 6 May 2025
Original Parliament recordHolidays: Academic YearDepartment for EducationTabled 25 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 48231More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she has had discussions with the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport on the cost of tourism in school holidays.
Answer: My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education regularly engages with ministers from the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, including through the government’s Opportunity Mission, where improving school attendance is a key focus. The cos...
Answered 6 May 2025
Original Parliament recordNational Wealth Fund: InvestmentTreasuryTabled 24 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 47930More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate she has made of the expected return on investment for investments in the National Wealth Fund.
Answer: The National Wealth Fund will seek to make positive returns for the Exchequer across its whole portfolio, covering at least the government’s cost of borrowing and institutional overheads, in line with its Financial Framework.This will take time to achieve...
Answered 2 May 2025
Original Parliament recordPensionsDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 24 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 47929More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will make an estimate of the number of people in receipt of a pension in the (a) 2025-26, (b) 2026-27, (c) 2027-28 and (c) 2028-29 financial years.
Answer: The estimated total number of people in receipt of State Pension in the 2025-26 to 2028-29 financial years is available in the following table. This is from the latest Benefit Expenditure and Caseload tables published following Spring Statement 2025. This...
Answered 29 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordFinancial Services: EducationTreasuryTabled 24 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 47928More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of (a) trends in the level of financial literacy in the UK and (b) the potential impact of improving young people's financial literacy on economic growth.
Answer: The Government is committed to ensuring that individuals have the financial capability to manage their money well. While the Government does not hold specific data quantifying the economic benefits of this, we recognise the importance of financial literac...
Answered 2 May 2025
Original Parliament recordFlood Control: FinanceDepartment for TransportTabled 24 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 47927More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of increasing funding available to Highways England for the maintenance of flood resilience infrastructure.
Answer: National Highways undertakes flood resilience work on England’s motorways and trunk A roads through a combination of ongoing maintenance and renewals activity that extends the life of, or replaces, existing roads and structures. The Department has set the...
Answered 1 May 2025
Original Parliament recordGreat British Railways: Luton Airport and Wixams StationDepartment for TransportTabled 24 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 47926More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of Great British Railways providing direct shuttle services for Universal Studios visitors between Luton Airport and Wixams station.
Answer: The service pattern for the Midland Main Line will be decided by Great British Railways in advance of the Universal Studios theme park opening in 2031. The Department for Transport will additionally ask Network Rail to analyse the capacity and performance...
Answered 6 May 2025
Original Parliament recordRoads: BedfordshireDepartment for TransportTabled 24 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 47925More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she plans to provide additional funding to Bedfordshire’s road network to manage increased traffic from the planned Universal Studios theme park.
Answer: As part of the Plan for Change, the government is working towards delivering a major investment in infrastructure around the site to support the delivery of the project and ensure it is well connected and easily accessible. The details of negotiations bet...
Answered 1 May 2025
Original Parliament recordEast West Rail Line and Thameslink Rail: BedfordshireDepartment for TransportTabled 24 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 47924More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of the planned Universal Studios theme park on passenger numbers on (a) East-West Rail and (b) Thameslink services.
Answer: Expected demand for the Universal Studios theme park is being analysed by East West Rail Co. and Network Rail as part of the Outline Business Case for East West Rail, to ensure the right infrastructure is delivered. East West Rail Co. and Network Rail wil...
Answered 6 May 2025
Original Parliament recordRailway Stations: AccessDepartment for TransportTabled 24 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 47923More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what capital funding will be made available to (a) Network Rail and (b) Great British Railways for Access for All schemes in each of the next five years.
Answer: In December, the Chancellor launched the second stage of the Spending Review. This is a zero-based Spending Review, to ensure every line of spending – including the Access for All programme and wider transport infrastructure portfolio – delivers the Plan ...
Answered 6 May 2025
Original Parliament recordBus Services: BedfordshireDepartment for TransportTabled 24 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 47922More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what proportion of her Department's funding for bus service improvements will be spent in Bedfordshire.
Answer: The Department for Transport has allocated £670 million to local transport authorities in 25/26 to support the delivery of Bus Service Improvement Plans as part of a more than £1 billion investment in buses confirmed at the Budget. Local transport authori...
Answered 29 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordMinisters: CybersecurityDepartment for Science, Innovation and TechnologyTabled 24 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 47921More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps his Department is taking to help protect Ministers' (a) social media and (b) personal email accounts from cybersecurity threats.
Answer: The National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC), the UK government’s national technical authority for cyber security, works with colleagues across government to provide Ministers and others with regular security briefings, guidance and advice, including advice ...
Answered 2 May 2025
Original Parliament recordMayors: TaxationMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 23 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 47409More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what local taxes she intends for Mayors to be able to levy.
Answer: The English Devolution White Paper sets out an enhanced Devolution Framework. This will be available by default rather than by deal, to both existing and new strategic authorities, creating a consistent, systematic approach and providing Mayor’s with the ...
Answered 1 May 2025
Original Parliament recordNHS EnglandDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 23 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 47408More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 9 April 2025 to Written Question 43758 on NHS England, how any short-term upfront costs incurred will be funded.
Answer: Detailed plans are being formulated by a joint Department and NHS England programme team. The remit of work includes formulation of the relevant costs and securing the required funding. Funding conversations between the Department of Health and Social Car...
Answered 30 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordGeneral Practitioners: RecruitmentDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 23 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 47407More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to his Department's press release entitled Over 1,500 extra GPs recruited to fix front door of the NHS, published on 8 April 2025, how many of those GPs will be deployed in (a) Mid B
Answer: As at 31 March 2025, 26 GPs had been recruited through the Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme in NHS Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes ICB. The number of full time equivalent ARRS GPs working in the ICB was 13.5 as at 28 February 2025.Data on the n...
Answered 30 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordHousing: Flood ControlDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 23 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 47406More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make a comparative assessment of the number of houses built on functional floodplains in (a) the UK and (b) the G7 in the last decade.
Answer: The Government has committed to ensure we are building more high-quality, well-designed and sustainable homes and creating places that increase climate resilience and promote nature recovery. Flood risk is an important consideration in the planning system...
Answered 6 May 2025
Original Parliament recordTrees: MapsDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 23 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 47405More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to his Department's press release entitled England’s non-woodland trees freely mapped for first time, published on 5 April 2025, whether his Department plans to use this
Answer: The Natural Capital and Ecosystem Assessment programme’s Trees outside Woodlands (ToW) map identifies the location, distribution and cover of trees, small groups of trees and small woodlands (less than 0.5 hectares) in England, and enables citizens, commu...
Answered 6 May 2025
Original Parliament recordTree Preservation Orders: MapsMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 23 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 47404More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if she will publish a digital, publicly available map of Tree Protection Orders.
Answer: I refer the hon. Member to the answer to Question UIN 35438 on 12 March 2025.
Answered 1 May 2025
Original Parliament recordArms Length BodiesCabinet OfficeTabled 23 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 47403More
Question: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to his Department's press release entitled Hundreds of quangos to be examined for potential closure as Government takes back control, published on 7 April 2025, whether that review will consider A
Answer: The review will cover all existing arm’s-length bodies (ALBs), and includes proposals for new ALBs.
Answered 13 May 2025
Original Parliament recordArms Length BodiesCabinet OfficeTabled 23 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 47402More
Question: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many Arms Length Bodies have been created since July 2024.
Answer: Cabinet Office maintains records and oversight of formally established Arm’s Length Bodies. As stated in my previous answer of 8 January 2025, no ALBs have been formally established since 4 July 2024.
Answered 13 May 2025
Original Parliament recordGovernment Departments: MembersCabinet OfficeTabled 23 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 47401More
Question: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will make it his policy that hon. Members are formally consulted before Government decisions which would have a particular impact on their constituency are made.
Answer: The Government recognises the importance of engagement with MPs when making policy decisions. Honorable Members already have a variety of levers in Parliament by which they can engage Ministers on policies affecting their constituencies. There are no plan...
Answered 9 May 2025
Original Parliament recordGREATCabinet OfficeTabled 23 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 47400More
Question: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will make an assessment of the return on investment of GREAT campaign funding in each year since it was introduced.
Answer: Since 2011, the GREAT campaign has developed a robust approach to evaluation, which has been validated by multiple external organisations, and consistently reported strong returns to the UK economy. The methodologies used continue to be reviewed and refin...
Answered 21 May 2025
Original Parliament recordWorkplace Pensions: Young PeopleDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 23 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 47399More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate her Department has made of the proportion of young people who have been auto-enrolled in a pension since October 2012; and what their median expected annual pension payments will be.
Answer: Automatic enrolment has succeeded in transforming pension saving with over 11 million employees having been automatically enrolled into a workplace pension since 2012. These statistics are available from The Pensions Regulator and are updated on a monthly...
Answered 29 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordEconomic GrowthTreasuryTabled 22 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 46986More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what discussions she has had with the Governor of the Bank of England on her economic growth policies.
Answer: The Chancellor and the Governor of the Bank of England meet regularly to discuss economic developments and the outlook for the economy. Growth is the number one mission of this government and is how we will get people into good jobs, drive higher living s...
Answered 30 Apr 2025
Original Parliament record
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