Blake Stephenson MP: written questions
1633 published records · newest first.
Written questions
Beavers: BedfordshireDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 21 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 40345More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to his Department's policy paper entitled Wild release and management of beavers in England, published on 28 February 2025, whether he has plans to take steps to release
Answer: This is a devolved matter, and the information provided therefore relates to England only. On 28 February 2025, Defra announced its new approach to beavers, including opening a licensing scheme for beaver wild release. A licence is needed to release any b...
Answered 28 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordFloods and TemperatureDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 21 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 40344More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether she has made an assessment of the potential implications for her policies of AXA UK's report entitled Extreme weather risks: An analysis of England’s vulnerability to flooding
Answer: The UK has a legal framework for managing climate risks under the Climate Change Act 2008. This includes preparing a UK Climate Change Risk Assessment every five years, followed by a National Adaptation Programme, setting out actions by government to addr...
Answered 27 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordFlood ControlDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 21 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 40343More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what progress the Government's Flood Resilience Taskforce has made on improving flood resilience in high-risk areas.
Answer: The Floods Resilience Taskforce is a new approach to preparing for flooding which brings together representatives from national, regional and local government, the devolved Governments emergency services, businesses and environmental interest groups. The ...
Answered 27 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordFarmers: IncomeDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 21 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 40342More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 17 February 2025 to Question 30413 on Farmers: Income, if he will make an estimate of median income for farmers in the 2023-24 financial year.
Answer: Published data for England 2023/24 are based on mean average incomes, rather than medians and are available at: Farm business income - GOV.UK. These show that, in 2023/24, average (mean) Farm Business Income (in simple terms, the output generated by the f...
Answered 28 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordEmployers' Contributions: Construction and HousingTreasuryTabled 21 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 40341More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she will make an estimate of the cost to the (a) housebuilding and (b) construction industry of her proposed changes to the level of employer National Insurance contributions.
Answer: A Tax Information and Impact Note (TIIN) was published alongside the introduction of the Bill containing the changes to employer NICs. The TIIN sets out the impact of the policy on the exchequer; the economic impacts of the policy; and the impacts on indi...
Answered 26 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordLocal Government: EcologyDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 21 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 40340More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to support the recruitment of additional ecologists in local government.
Answer: Since November 2021, the Government has committed over £35 million to Local planning authorities (LPAs) to help them prepare for and implement biodiversity net gain. Defra has confirmed funding up to the end of 2024/25 and will confirm for 2025/26 shortly...
Answered 28 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordHousing and Nature ConservationMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 21 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 40339More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if she will provide guidance to councils on balancing the needs for (a) new housing and (b) nature recovery.
Answer: As set out in Paragraph 7 of the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF), the purpose of the planning system is to contribute to the achievement of sustainable development, including the provision of homes, commercial development and supporting infrastr...
Answered 31 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordPlanning: Environmental ProtectionMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 21 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 40338More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether she has made an assessment of the potential implications for her policies of the Institute for Public Policy Research's report entitled Strategic planning for green prosp
Answer: The government has not made an assessment of the potential implications of the Institute for Public Policy Research’s report in question.
Answered 31 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordHousing: ConstructionMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 21 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 40337More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps she plans to take to increase the number of new homes built to high standards of environmental resilience by 2030; and what proportion of existing housebuilding projec
Answer: MHCLG has already taken a number of steps to deliver climate resilient homes, including:Revising the National Planning Policy Framework (published on 12 December 2024) to set out that the planning system should take full account of all climate impacts, in...
Answered 31 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordFloods and TemperatureMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 21 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 40336More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether she has made an assessment of the potential implications for her policies of AXA’s report entitled Extreme weather risks: An analysis of England’s vulnerability to floodi
Answer: Under the Third National Adaptation Plan, MHCLG has shared responsibility with Defra and DESNZ for addressing risks to buildings from extreme heat and flooding.On overheating, MHCLG introduced Part O of the Building Regulations in 2021, which requires tha...
Answered 31 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordFloods Resilience TaskforceDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 21 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 40335More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of extending the Flood Resilience Taskforce Model to consider wider resilience challenges.
Answer: Protecting communities around the country from flooding is one of the Secretary of State’s five priorities. That’s why we set up a Floods Resilience Taskforce which is a new approach to preparing for flooding. It brings together representatives from natio...
Answered 28 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordMauritius: Politics and GovernmentForeign, Commonwealth and Development OfficeTabled 21 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 40333More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of comments made by Georges Pierre Lesjongard on 15 February 2025.
Answer: The UK's position is clear - we do not and will not pay reparations.
Answered 1 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordGaza: Humanitarian AidForeign, Commonwealth and Development OfficeTabled 21 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 40332More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he plans to take to help ensure that humanitarian support for Gaza cannot be used to further Hamas’ objectives.
Answer: I will refer the honourable member to our response to PQ 40467. We are aware of allegations that Hamas uses humanitarian aid for its own gain. We have encouraged Israel to share evidence with the UN/ International Non-Governmental Organizations. We have n...
Answered 22 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordDefence: ExpenditureTreasuryTabled 19 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 39794More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the Prime Minister's Oral Statement of 25 February 2025 on Defence and Security, Official Report, columns 631-634, if she will provide a breakdown of the funding sources for the proposed increase i
Answer: The Prime Minister’s announcement in February is fully funded - we are reducing ODA to the equivalent of 0.3% of GNI to fund the additional spend required to ensure we reach 2.5% of GDP on defence spending in 2027-28.
Answered 27 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordDevelopment Aid: National IncomeTreasuryTabled 19 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 39793More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the Prime Minister's Oral Statement of 25 February 2025 on Defence and Security, Official Report, columns 631-634, if she will make an estimate of the savings to the public purse by reducing the am
Answer: We are facing a once-in-a-generation moment for the collective security of Europe and must increase our security and defence spending now. To fund this increase, the government has taken the difficult decision to reduce Official Development Assistance (OD...
Answered 24 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordParking: Pedestrian AreasDepartment for TransportTabled 19 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 39792More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will make it her policy to introduce a ban on pavement parking in non-metropolitan areas.
Answer: The Department has been considering all the views expressed in response to the consultation in 2020 and is currently working through the policy options and the appropriate means of delivering them. As soon as the Government has decided its preferred way f...
Answered 27 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordGeneral Practitioners: FinanceDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 19 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 39791More
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 his planned timetable is for confirming funding for GP surgery projects.
Answer: Integrated care boards were informed of their allocations in the planning guidance issued on 30 January 2025. The final element to be confirmed is the operation of a small element of incentives funding.The Primary Care Utilisation and Modernisation Fund w...
Answered 27 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordIntegrated Care Boards: FinanceDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 19 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 39790More
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 his planned timetable is for confirming the allocations for integrated care boards.
Answer: Integrated care boards were informed of their allocations in the planning guidance issued on 30 January 2025. The final element to be confirmed is the operation of a small element of incentives funding.The Primary Care Utilisation and Modernisation Fund w...
Answered 27 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordSuicide: Mental Health ServicesDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 19 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 39789More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of call waiting times for emergency support for suicidal people in Bedfordshire.
Answer: People experiencing suicidal thoughts can access emergency support through a variety of services. These include accident and emergency, mental health crisis services via NHS 111, the police, mental health street triage services, ambulance services, genera...
Answered 27 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordSport EnglandMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 19 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 39788More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government's press release entitled Bureaucratic burden lifted to speed up building in growth agenda, published o
Answer: I refer the hon. Member to the Written Ministerial Statement made on 10 March 2025 (HCWS510).
Answered 27 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordArts: TheatreDepartment for Culture, Media and SportTabled 19 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 39786More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if she will make an estimate of the economic contribution of live theatre to the creative industry.
Answer: This Government recognises the importance of theatre in providing high-quality culture and stimulating growth. DCMS economic estimates of GVA provide a measure of the contribution made by the DCMS sectors to the UK economy. The Arts subsector, of which th...
Answered 26 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordArts: Theatres TrustMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 19 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 39785More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government's press release entitled Bureaucratic burden lifted to speed up building in growth agenda, published o
Answer: I refer the hon. Member to the Written Ministerial Statement made on 10 March 2025 (HCWS510).
Answered 27 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordArts: Theatres TrustMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 19 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 39783More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government's press release entitled Bureaucratic burden lifted to speed up building in growth agenda, published o
Answer: I refer the hon. Member to the Written Ministerial Statement made on 10 March 2025 (HCWS510).
Answered 27 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordPostural Tachycardia Syndrome: BedfordshireDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 18 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 39188More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to ensure adequate support for people with postural tachycardia syndrome in Bedfordshire.
Answer: Improving health outcomes for people who live with long-term conditions, including postural tachycardia syndrome, is a key part of the Government's mission to build a National Health Service fit for the future.The integrated care boards (ICBs), including ...
Answered 24 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordVisas: ApplicationsHome OfficeTabled 18 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 39187More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make an estimate of waiting times for visas on (a) the super priority service and (b) other processes.
Answer: As outlined on GOV.UK, using the ‘super priority service’ for visa and settlement applications means a decision is usually made by the end of the next working day.Using the ‘priority service’ means a decision is usually made within 5 working days, or 30 w...
Answered 26 Mar 2025
Original Parliament record
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