Blake Stephenson MP: written questions
665 published records · newest first.
Written questions
Palestine: Recognition of StatesForeign, Commonwealth and Development OfficeTabled 30 Oct 2025AnsweredUIN 86858More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether she made the proscription of Hamas by the Government of the State of Palestine a condition of UK recognition.
Answer: I refer the Hon. Member to the answer provided on 29 October to Question 83047.
Answered 5 Nov 2025
Original Parliament recordPalestine: Recognition of StatesForeign, Commonwealth and Development OfficeTabled 30 Oct 2025AnsweredUIN 86857More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what her Department's policy is on the status of East Jerusalem, in the context of the UK's recognition of the State of Palestine.
Answer: I refer the Hon. Member to the answer provided on 29 October to Question 83047.
Answered 5 Nov 2025
Original Parliament recordPalestine: Recognition of StatesForeign, Commonwealth and Development OfficeTabled 30 Oct 2025AnsweredUIN 86856More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether she made continued access for Jewish and Christian communities to holy sites in the State of Palestine a condition of UK recognition.
Answer: I refer the Hon. Member to the answer provided on 29 October to Question 83047.
Answered 5 Nov 2025
Original Parliament recordTaiwan: Recognition of StatesForeign, Commonwealth and Development OfficeTabled 30 Oct 2025AnsweredUIN 86855More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether she plans to formally recognise Taiwan.
Answer: I refer the Hon. Member to the answer provided on 19 December 2024 to Question 19224.
Answered 6 Nov 2025
Original Parliament recordPalestine: Democracy and Human RightsForeign, Commonwealth and Development OfficeTabled 30 Oct 2025AnsweredUIN 86854More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if she will make an assessment of the level of (a) human rights and (b) democracy in the State of Palestine.
Answer: I refer the Hon. Member to the answer provided on 29 October to Question 83047.
Answered 5 Nov 2025
Original Parliament recordPalestine: Recognition of StatesForeign, Commonwealth and Development OfficeTabled 30 Oct 2025AnsweredUIN 86853More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether she has made free and fair elections a condition of the UK's recognition of the State of Palestine.
Answer: I refer the Hon. Member to the answer provided on 29 October to Question 83047.
Answered 5 Nov 2025
Original Parliament recordTourism: East West Rail LineDepartment for Culture, Media and SportTabled 30 Oct 2025AnsweredUIN 86852More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if she will publish a regional tourism strategy for the east-west rail corridor.
Answer: East West Rail (EWR) will improve connectivity and drive economic growth, enabling people to travel easily and sustainably to the wide variety of existing and proposed tourist destinations along the route. The improved connectivity that EWR will provide, ...
Answered 7 Nov 2025
Original Parliament recordPublic Houses: ClosuresDepartment for Culture, Media and SportTabled 30 Oct 2025AnsweredUIN 86851More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, pursuant to the Answer of 6 June 2025 to Question 54458, with reference to the press release entitled Six pubs a week shutting their doors for good, published on 17 February 2025, whether she has
Answer: The Government recognises the vital role of pubs and hospitality businesses in both local communities and the attractiveness of the UK as a visitor destination. While DCMS has not made a formal assessment, we continue working with other Government depart...
Answered 7 Nov 2025
Original Parliament recordTourism: Departmental ResponsibilitiesDepartment for Culture, Media and SportTabled 30 Oct 2025AnsweredUIN 86850More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if she will make an assessment of the potential benefits for her policies on tourism of appointing a full-time Tourism Minister focused exclusively on tourism.
Answer: The Government has a Minister responsible for Tourism, within a portfolio that also includes Sport, Civil Society and Youth. As ambitions to promote growth and improve the productivity of the tourism sector are reliant on a cross-government approach, DCMS...
Answered 27 Nov 2025
Original Parliament recordMinisters: Redundancy PayCabinet OfficeTabled 30 Oct 2025AnsweredUIN 86849More
Question: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will make an estimate of the cost to the public purse of Ministerial severance packages between 1 September and 8 September 2025.
Answer: Departments are responsible for making salary and loss of office payments to their Ministers. This information would only be held by individual departments.
Answered 7 Nov 2025
Original Parliament recordInfrastructureCabinet OfficeTabled 30 Oct 2025AnsweredUIN 86848More
Question: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to his Department's press release entitled Boosting British jobs and skills key for firms to win major infrastructure projects, published on 16 June 2025, if he will publish an impact assessment f
Answer: This Government is committed to supporting British jobs and industry. As part of this, we have consulted on further reforms to public procurement. If appropriate, impact assessments will be undertaken following our response to the consultation, in accorda...
Answered 13 Nov 2025
Original Parliament recordPublic Bodies: ReviewsCabinet OfficeTabled 30 Oct 2025AnsweredUIN 86847More
Question: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 9 June 2025 to Question 55254 on Public Bodies: Reviews, how many civil servants are involved in the review by grade.
Answer: As of 31st October 2025, the Cabinet Office maintains 1 Deputy Director, 1 Grade 7 and 1 HEO to staff the ALB Review. Information on departmental staffing levels for the ALB Review is not held centrally.
Answered 7 Nov 2025
Original Parliament recordRural Areas: Cost of LivingDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 24 Oct 2025AnsweredUIN 84970More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of the report by the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Rural Business and the Rural Powerhouse entitled The R
Answer: Defra regularly publishes statistics on a range of social and economic topics and provides broad comparisons between Rural and Urban areas by settlement type, including assessment on the rural economy, transport, housing and cost of living. These are avai...
Answered 3 Nov 2025
Original Parliament recordEnergy: PricesDepartment for Energy Security and Net ZeroTabled 24 Oct 2025AnsweredUIN 84969More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, with reference to his Department's press release entitled Plan for wind developers to pay for skilled job training, published on 23 August 2025, whether he has made an assessment of the poten
Answer: The Government recently consulted on proposals under the Clean Industry Bonus which aim to incentivise developers to provide routes to high-quality employment. The Government will analyse responses and set out its proposed next steps in the response due t...
Answered 3 Nov 2025
Original Parliament recordSmall Modular Reactors: NewcleoDepartment for Energy Security and Net ZeroTabled 24 Oct 2025AnsweredUIN 84968More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, if he will publish a lessons learned review relating to the decision of Newcleo not to pursue its investment in nuclear reactors in the UK.
Answer: Newcleo Ltd’s decision to suspend its advanced nuclear activities in the UK was a commercial decision for the company. Government will not be publishing a lessons learned review into this matter. It was announced in the 2025 Spending Review that the Gover...
Answered 3 Nov 2025
Original Parliament recordRural Areas: Cost of LivingDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 23 Oct 2025AnsweredUIN 84705More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of the rural premium on rural communities.
Answer: Defra regularly publishes statistics on a range of social and economic topics and provides broad comparisons between Rural and Urban areas by settlement type. These are available through The Statistical Digest for Rural England. This Government is committ...
Answered 30 Oct 2025
Original Parliament recordSewage: Pollution ControlDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 22 Oct 2025AnsweredUIN 84557More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to her Department's press release entitled Reed: Government to cut sewage pollution in half by 2030, published 19 July 2025, if he will set out how the £104 billion inve
Answer: The Government will introduce root and branch reform to revolutionise the water industry, working in partnership with water companies, investors and communities to deliver a systematic approach to improving drainage and wastewater systems. This will have ...
Answered 29 Oct 2025
Original Parliament recordSewage: Pollution ControlDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 22 Oct 2025AnsweredUIN 84556More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to her Department's press notice entitled Reed: Government to cut sewage pollution in half by 2030, published on 19 July 2025, if she will set out specific measures bein
Answer: The Government will introduce root and branch reform to revolutionise the water industry, working in partnership with water companies, investors and communities to deliver a systematic approach to improving drainage and wastewater systems. This will have ...
Answered 29 Oct 2025
Original Parliament recordSewage: Pollution ControlDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 22 Oct 2025AnsweredUIN 84555More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to her Department's press release entitled Reed: Government to cut sewage pollution in half by 2030, published on 19 July 2025, whether he will publish the evidential ba
Answer: The Government will introduce root and branch reform to revolutionise the water industry, working in partnership with water companies, investors and communities to deliver a systematic approach to improving drainage and wastewater systems. This will have ...
Answered 29 Oct 2025
Original Parliament recordTree PlantingDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 22 Oct 2025AnsweredUIN 84553More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the effectiveness of the Trees for Climate project.
Answer: The Trees for Climate Programme is delivered by England’s Community Forests and is funded by the Defra Nature for Climate Fund Programme (NCF). Between 2020-2025 the Trees for Climate Programme has planted trees totalling 6,551ha. Defra is currently evalu...
Answered 29 Oct 2025
Original Parliament recordDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: Public BodiesDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 22 Oct 2025AnsweredUIN 84552More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether her Department has prepared an impact assessments on the decisions to (a) merge Ofwat and the Drinking Inspectorate and (b) remove the environmental regulatory functions of the
Answer: The Government has committed to establishing a single, powerful regulator for the entire water sector that will stand on the side of customers, investors and the environment. The current fragmented approach to water has led to contradictory and competing ...
Answered 29 Oct 2025
Original Parliament recordNature Conservation: FinanceDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 22 Oct 2025AnsweredUIN 84551More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to her Department's press release entitled UK government gathers business and environment leaders in support of UN nature agreement, published on 25 June 2025, how much
Answer: Investing in nature at home and abroad is critical to the UK’s security and prosperity. Healthy global ecosystems reduce the risk of supply chain shocks, create opportunities for UK businesses, and help prevent conflict and forced migration. To advance th...
Answered 29 Oct 2025
Original Parliament recordWind PowerDepartment for Energy Security and Net ZeroTabled 22 Oct 2025AnsweredUIN 84550More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, with reference to his Department's press release entitled Cash boost for coastal towns hosting clean energy infrastructure, published on 21 May 2025, if he will make it his policy to provide
Answer: In May 2025, the government published a working paper on mandatory community benefits and shared ownership of low carbon energy infrastructure. The proposals would require developers to contribute to community benefit funds to support people and businesse...
Answered 31 Oct 2025
Original Parliament recordSmall Modular Reactors: NewcleoDepartment for Energy Security and Net ZeroTabled 22 Oct 2025AnsweredUIN 84548More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what discussions he has had with Newcleo prior to its decision not to pursue its investment in nuclear reactors in the UK.
Answer: Details of Ministers' and Permanent Secretaries' meetings with external individuals and organisations are published quarterly in arrears on GOV.UK.
Answered 31 Oct 2025
Original Parliament recordSmall Modular Reactors: NewcleoDepartment for Energy Security and Net ZeroTabled 22 Oct 2025AnsweredUIN 84546More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether he has made an assessment of the potential impact for his policies of Newcleo’s decision not to provide funding for clear reactors in the UK.
Answer: As set out at the Spending Review, the Government’s policy is to develop a new framework for privately-led advanced nuclear projects to be published shortly. The framework will have a new role for Great British Energy – Nuclear assessing proposals, with t...
Answered 31 Oct 2025
Original Parliament record
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