Blake Stephenson MP: written questions
1633 published records · newest first.
Written questions
Motor Vehicles: Dangerous Driving and NoiseDepartment for TransportTabled 25 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 41375More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 10 March 2025 to Question 35021 on Motor Vehicles: Dangerous Driving and Noise, if she will make an assessment of the potential connection between excessively noisy vehicles and danger
Answer: The Department does not have plans to carry out an assessment of the potential connection between excessively noisy vehicles and dangerous driving.The Department takes the impact of excessive noise on health, wellbeing and the natural environment seriousl...
Answered 31 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordEast West Rail Line: PassengersDepartment for TransportTabled 25 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 41374More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will make an estimate of the number of passengers expected to interchange onto East-West Rail services at Cambridge South whose journeys began at London Stansted Airport in the next 12 months.
Answer: No estimate has been made of the number of passengers using Cambridge South station as an interchange to change from East-West Rail services to connecting services to Stansted Airport.
Answered 2 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordMathematics: Mid BedfordshireDepartment for EducationTabled 25 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 41373More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of proposed reductions in the funding for the Advanced Mathematics Support Programme on children in Mid Bedfordshire constituency.
Answer: I refer the hon. Member for Mid Bedfordshire to the answer of 28 April to Question 40352.
Answered 28 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordSpecial Educational NeedsDepartment for EducationTabled 25 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 41372More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of allowing children to attend specialist education settings in a different local authority to the one in which they reside.
Answer: Children and young people can attend specialist provision in any local authority, not just the one in which they reside.Children and young people will be placed in special schools through the statutory process which the Children and Families Act 2014 pres...
Answered 2 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordSchools: GrantsDepartment for EducationTabled 25 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 41371More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of equalising dedicated school grants for schools.
Answer: Every year the department uses the schools national funding formula (NFF) to distribute core funding for 5- to 16-year-old pupils in mainstream state-funded schools in England. In the current NFF, the vast majority of funding is distributed on the basis o...
Answered 2 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordPupils: FinanceDepartment for EducationTabled 25 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 41370More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether children who attend school in a different local authority area to the one in which they reside are funded at the level of (a) the local authority their school is in or (b) the local authority where they
Answer: The schools national funding formula (NFF) allocates funding for mainstream schools. The funding levels vary between local authority areas, and the funding that mainstream schools receive is determined by the local authority that they are in, rather than ...
Answered 2 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordPrivate Education: VATTreasuryTabled 25 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 41369More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to HMRC's policy paper entitled Private school fees — VAT measure, last updated on 15 November 2024, for what reasons the Government didn't model the potential impact of the policy on economic growth
Answer: At the Budget the Government published the costing methodology for the measure. This included thorough analysis of the static costing and behavioural effects of the measure. In addition, the economic impact of the measure is included in the Tax Informatio...
Answered 2 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordPupils: BedfordshireDepartment for EducationTabled 25 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 41368More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make an assessment of the equity of per pupil school funding in Bedfordshire.
Answer: Every year the department uses the schools national funding formula (NFF) to distribute core funding for 5- to 16-year-old pupils in mainstream state-funded schools in England. In the current NFF, the vast majority of funding is distributed on the basis o...
Answered 2 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordBroadband: Rural AreasDepartment for Science, Innovation and TechnologyTabled 25 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 41367More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps his Department plans to take to help deliver gigabit broadband in rural villages of fewer than 200 houses.
Answer: We do not have a specific category of villages with fewer than 200 houses, but as part of Project Gigabit, over £2 billion of contracts have been signed to connect over a million premises with gigabit-capable broadband. These contracts are targeted at rea...
Answered 2 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordEast West Rail LineDepartment for TransportTabled 24 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 40821More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of East West Rail on Thameslink services (a) from London to Bedford, (b) from Bedford to London, (c) northbound on the East Coast Main Line and (d) southbo
Answer: EWR Co’s proposals to use six tracking north of Bedford have been designed to mitigate impact on Thameslink services from Bedford to London. EWR trains will provide an interchange at Tempsford with East Coast Main Line services but will not run on the Eas...
Answered 1 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordGovia Thameslink Railway and London Northwestern Railway: NationalisationDepartment for TransportTabled 24 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 40820More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 18 February 2025 to Question 30410 on Govia Thameslink Railway and London Northwestern Railway: Nationalisation, what the relevant circumstances considered are.
Answer: A range of factors will be taken into consideration as Ministers go through a process of decision-making on further transfers into public ownership, following the transfers of SWR’s services in May, c2c’s in July and Greater Anglia’s in autumn 2025. We ex...
Answered 1 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordEast West Rail Line: Stansted AirportDepartment for TransportTabled 24 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 40819More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of running East-West Rail to Stansted Airport.
Answer: There are currently no plans to extend the EWR service outside of its core scope, but through services may be an option in the future.
Answered 1 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordIncome Tax: PensionersTreasuryTabled 24 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 40818More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many and what proportion of pensioners will pay income tax in each of the next five years.
Answer: The Government is committed to ensuring that older people are able to live with the dignity and respect they deserve, and the State Pension is the foundation of state support for older people. The Government is committed to the Triple Lock for the duratio...
Answered 1 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordPension Credit: Take-upDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 24 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 40817More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to her Department's press release entitled Nearly fifty thousand extra pensioners receiving vital Pension Credit support following surge in claims processed, published on 27 February 2025
Answer: The Pension Credit campaign budget is £5m for the 2024/25 financial year. This supported the development of an expanded Pension Credit campaign encouraging all eligible pensioners to claim. Activity has included TV and video on demand; radio; national and...
Answered 2 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordPension CreditDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 24 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 40816More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the press notice entitled Nearly fifty thousand extra pensioners receiving vital Pension Credit support following surge in claims processed, published on 27 February 2025, if she will
Answer: The Department does not have this data for the period up to March 2025. The latest available Pension Credit take-up statistics cover the financial year 2022 to 2023 and are available at: Income-related benefits: estimates of take-up: financial year ending...
Answered 31 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordSick Leave: ProductivityDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 24 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 40815More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 18 February 2025 to Question 30412 on Sick Leave: Productivity, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of workplace sickness on productivity.
Answer: The Department published an estimate of the overall cost to the economy due to sickness absence in The cost of working age ill-health and disability that prevents work on 18 March 2025. The analyses do not estimate the specific impact of workplace sicknes...
Answered 1 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordGeneral Practitioners: FinanceDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 24 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 40812More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the press notice entitled New deal for GPs will fix the front door of the NHS, published on 28 February 2025, whether the funding announced in that notice is in addition to fundin
Answer: We have made necessary decisions to fix the foundations of the public finances in the Autumn Budget. Resource spending for the Department will be £22.6 billion more in 2025/26 than in 2023/24, as part of the Spending Review settlement.As a part of this al...
Answered 31 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordAccident and Emergency Departments and Urgent Treatment CentresDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 24 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 40810More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of increasing the level of geographic detail available on the number of (a) A&E and (b) Urgent Care Centre admissions.
Answer: NHS England publishes accident and emergency admission data for a range of different geographical footprints. This includes at an integrated care board, regional, and provider level. We will continue to keep the range of data available to support the impr...
Answered 31 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordMathematics: Mid BedfordshireDepartment for EducationTabled 21 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 40352More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make an estimate of the number of school students in Mid Bedfordshire constituency impacted by changes to funding for the Advanced Mathematics Support Programme.
Answer: Excellence in mathematics is one of the many skills needed to drive economic growth, and we are committed to ensuring all children and young people have opportunities to secure mathematical knowledge, regardless of background and socio-economic status.The...
Answered 28 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordNHS Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton KeynesDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 21 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 40351More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 19 February 2025 to Question 29563 on General Practitioners: Finance, what projects he has discussed with the NHS Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes Integrated Care Boa
Answer: The Primary Care Utilisation and Modernisation Fund was announced during the 2024 Spending Review, and provides new capital funding of £102 million for the 2025/26 financial year to support improvements in the primary care estate.The Department and NHS En...
Answered 27 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordADHD: GirlsDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 21 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 40350More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the adequacy of ADHD assessments in identifying that condition in girls.
Answer: It is the responsibility of the integrated care boards (ICBs) in England to make available appropriate provision to meet the health and care needs of their local population, including attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) services, in line with ...
Answered 31 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordGP Surgeries: WixamsDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 21 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 40349More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent discussions his Department has had with the NHS Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes Integrated Care Board on the proposed Wixams GP surgery.
Answer: Integrated care boards (ICBs) are responsible for commissioning, which includes planning, securing, and monitoring, general practice (GP) services within their health systems through delegated responsibility from NHS England. The Bedfordshire, Luton and M...
Answered 31 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordYoung People: BedfordshireDepartment for Culture, Media and SportTabled 21 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 40348More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to her Department's press release entitled Government partners with young people to help develop new national youth strategy, published on 5 March 2025, whether any Democracy Cafes
Answer: As part of the development of the National Youth Strategy, we have conducted nine Democracy Cafes, one in every region of the country, as well as online focus groups. No Democracy Cafe was held in Bedfordshire, but one was delivered in Cambridge. There ar...
Answered 31 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordTourism: Local GovernmentDepartment for Culture, Media and SportTabled 21 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 40347More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, pursuant to the Answer of 7 February 2025 to Question 27307 on Tourism: Local Government, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of increased local authority spendi
Answer: Increased investment to promote UK tourism can, if well targeted, lead to an increase in economic growth, tax revenue and local prosperity.
Answered 3 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordAgriculture and Business: Inheritance TaxTreasuryTabled 21 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 40346More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of introducing a clawback option for agricultural property relief and business property relief where 100% relief is reinstated but inheritance tax is applied wh
Answer: I refer the Honourable Member to the answer given to UIN 32918.
Answered 31 Mar 2025
Original Parliament record
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