Blake Stephenson MP: written questions
1633 published records · newest first.
Written questions
Hospitals: BedfordshireDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 3 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 44054More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the provisions outlined in his Department's press release entitled Crack teams get patients off waiting lists at twice the speed, published on
Answer: The Government is committed to putting patients first, and we have wasted no time in getting to work cutting National Health Service waiting lists and ensuring people have the best possible experience during their care.Further Faster 20 (FF20) is a scheme...
Answered 9 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordNHS EnglandDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 3 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 44053More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of closing NHS England on integrated care boards.
Answer: Ministers and senior Department officials will work with the new executive team at the top of NHS England, led by Sir Jim Mackey, to jointly lead this transformation. As we work to bring the two organisations together, we will ensure that we continue to e...
Answered 17 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordNHS EnglandDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 3 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 44051More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will publish his Department’s impact assessment on closing NHS England.
Answer: The abolition of NHS England will strip out the unnecessary bureaucracy and cut the duplication that comes from having two organisations doing the same job. By the end of the process, we estimate that these changes will save hundreds of millions of pounds...
Answered 17 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordAgriculture: Inheritance TaxTreasuryTabled 3 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 44050More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 13 February 2025 to Question 29188 on Agriculture and Business: Inheritance Tax, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of reviewing her Department's data collection methods
Answer: HMRC guidance sets out that woodland is only agricultural property, and therefore qualifies for agricultural property relief, if it is occupied with, and that occupation is ancillary to, agricultural land or pasture. It will include woodland shelter belts...
Answered 11 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordAffordable Housing: ConstructionMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 3 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 44049More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to the press release entitled £2 billion new investment to support biggest boost in social and affordable housebuilding in a generation, published on 25 March 2025
Answer: At Spring statement, the government announced an immediate injection of £2 billion to support delivery of the biggest increase in social and affordable housebuilding in a generation and contribute to our ambitious Plan for Change milestone of building 1.5...
Answered 22 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordEnvironmental Delivery PlansMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 3 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 44048More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 24 March to Question 38446 on Environmental Delivery Plans, whether Natural England will be required to pay for ongoing maintenance of conservation proj
Answer: Natural England will secure and deliver conservation measures as part of an Environmental Delivery Plan to address the environmental impact of the development in question. Conservation measures will be maintained for as long as is necessary to address the...
Answered 24 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordLocal Government: Employers' ContributionsMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 3 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 44047More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to her Department's publication entitled Employer National Insurance Contributions Grant – Explanatory Note, published on 3 February 2025, which councils were invi
Answer: When determining allocations for the 2024-25 Employer National Insurance Contributions grant, government lacked the relevant, published Revenue Outturn (RO) data for a small number of councils, and we have therefore used councils’ self-submitted expenditu...
Answered 10 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordParish and Town Councils: Employers' ContributionsMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 3 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 44046More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if she will make an estimate of the number of (a) parish, (b) town and (c) community councils which will pay additional employers’ National Insurance in 2025-26.
Answer: The government recognises the important role town and parish councils have in improving the quality of life and wellbeing of their communities but has no direct role in funding parish and town councils, and therefore has not provided compensation, consist...
Answered 10 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordVoting Rights: Young PeopleMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 3 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 44045More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 20 March 2025 to Question 37781 on Voting Rights: Young People, whether her Department plans to instruct the Boundary Commissions to perform an early bo
Answer: The Government has no plans to amend the timing of the next Parliamentary Boundary Review.
Answered 9 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordFree School Meals: CostsDepartment for EducationTabled 2 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 43762More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make an assessment of the average cost to a school of providing a meal to a child eligible for Universal Infant Free School Meals.
Answer: All pupils in reception, year 1 and year 2 in England’s state-funded schools are entitled to universal infant free school meals. The department spends approximately £600 million per year ensuring that around 1.3 million infant pupils receive a nutritious ...
Answered 10 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordBedfordshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust: Solar PowerDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 2 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 43761More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, for what reason Bedfordshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust was not included in the Great British Energy Solar project.
Answer: NHS England received an extremely positive response to this scheme, with over 300 bids (covering 140 trusts) that could potentially have been taken forward.The Department worked closely with NHS England and our partners at Great British Energy to apply a ...
Answered 8 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordEndometriosis: DiagnosisDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 2 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 43760More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the current average diagnosis time for endometriosis.
Answer: The Government is committed to prioritising women’s health and improving the care for gynaecological conditions, including endometriosis.The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence published an update to the guideline on endometriosis diagnosis ...
Answered 17 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordUrinary Tract Infections: Mid BedfordshireDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 2 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 43759More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to support people who suffer with chronic urinary tract infections in Mid Bedfordshire constituency.
Answer: There are nine pharmacists in the Mid Bedfordshire constituency area, and all offer the Pharmacy First service. This service builds on the NHS Community Pharmacist Consultation Service which has run since October 2019. The consultation service enables pat...
Answered 8 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordNHS EnglandDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 2 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 43758More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will estimate the cost to the public purse of (a) redundancies and (b) all other costs arising from the proposed abolition of NHS England.
Answer: We recognise that there may be some short-term upfront costs as we undertake the integration of NHS England and the Department, but these costs and more will be recouped in future years because of a smaller and leaner centre. By the end of the process, we...
Answered 9 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordAquariums and Zoos: TourismDepartment for Culture, Media and SportTabled 2 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 43757More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment her Department has made of the economic contribution of (a) zoos and (b) aquariums to the tourism sector.
Answer: The government acknowledges the significant impact that zoos and aquariums have on the Visitor Economy. Iconic and cultural attractions like Chester zoo, which was the third most visited paid attraction in England in 2023, draw in visitors from across the...
Answered 11 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordAquariums and Zoos: Departmental ResponsibilitiesDepartment for Culture, Media and SportTabled 2 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 43756More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of her Department taking responsibility for (a) zoos and (b) aquariums.
Answer: The government acknowledges the significant impact that zoos and aquariums have on the Visitor Economy. Iconic and cultural attractions like Chester zoo, which was the third most visited paid attraction in England in 2023, draw in visitors from across the...
Answered 11 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordLondon Stock ExchangeTreasuryTabled 2 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 43753More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 11 March 2025 to Question 35444 on London Stock Exchange, if she will make an assessment of the potential implications for her policies of the 6.6% reduction in the number of firms listed o
Answer: The UK has recently attracted several high-profile listings from firms taking advantage of our reforms to make it easier to raise capital and fund growth on UK markets. This includes IPOs from high-growth UK firms such as Applied Nutrition, as well as lis...
Answered 7 Apr 2025
Original Parliament record5G: Business RatesTreasuryTabled 2 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 43752More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of business rates on the rate at which new (a) 5G and (b) 5GSA infrastructure is being rolled out.
Answer: Digital infrastructure will play a key role in the Government’s forthcoming 10 Year Infrastructure Strategy, which will set out the long-term ambitions for rollout of 5G and Standalone 5G. Eligible plant and machinery used on 5G are exempt from business r...
Answered 10 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordAggregates Levy: Marine EnvironmentTreasuryTabled 2 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 43751More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of the Aggregates levy on the marine environment.
Answer: Aggregates Levy is an environmental tax which aims to encourage the more efficient extraction and use of all aggregates. There are no current plans to undertake a specific assessment of its impact on the marine environment, but the government keeps all ta...
Answered 10 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordAir Passenger DutyTreasuryTabled 2 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 43750More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether she has made a recent assessment of the international competitiveness of Air Passenger Duty rates.
Answer: Air Passenger Duty (APD) applies to airlines and is the principal tax on the aviation sector. It is expected to raise £4.2 billion in 2024-25. At Autumn Budget 2024, the Government announced APD rates for 2026-27, including a partial adjustment to help c...
Answered 10 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordSchools: Solar PowerDepartment for EducationTabled 1 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 43285More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how schools in Bedfordshire can apply to the Great British Energy Solar project.
Answer: The department and Great British Energy have launched an £80 million partnership to provide rooftop solar panels across 200 schools and colleges.This investment will cut school energy bills, support our transition to clean energy and create new opportunit...
Answered 10 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordSchools: BroadbandDepartment for EducationTabled 1 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 43284More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to her Department's press release entitled No child left behind in plans to narrow the digital divide in education, published on 21 March 2025, whether schools in areas without full fibre broadba
Answer: The government is investing £45 million to boost school infrastructure, including £20 million to upgrade fibre connections to a further 343 schools this year in areas without full fibre broadband, helping get schools online and boosting standards where it...
Answered 10 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordFinancial Services: Primary EducationDepartment for EducationTabled 1 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 43283More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of extending financial education to primary school children.
Answer: Financial education currently forms a compulsory part of the national curriculum for mathematics, at key stages 1 to 4, and citizenship, at key stages 3 and 4. The primary mathematics curriculum includes arithmetic knowledge that supports pupils’ ability ...
Answered 28 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordCrime and Policing BillHome OfficeTabled 1 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 43282More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the Regulatory Policy Committee's press release entitled Crime and Policing Bill: late publication of Home Office impact assessments, published on 10 March, for what reason those imp
Answer: The Government has published four Economic Notes and two Economic Impact Assessments covering measures in the Crime and Policing Bill, which can be found here: https://bills.parliament.uk/bills/3938/publications.Two further Economic Impact Assessments, re...
Answered 9 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordNeighbourhood PolicingHome OfficeTabled 1 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 43281More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to her Department's news story entitled New powers for police to tackle neighbourhood crime, published on 25 February 2025, where the 13,000 new officers will be deployed by county.
Answer: The Government has committed to restoring neighbourhood policing through the Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee. This includes putting thousands more police personnel on the beat in neighbourhood policing roles up and down the country. Every part of the cou...
Answered 9 Apr 2025
Original Parliament record
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