Blake Stephenson MP: written questions 2025
1235 published records · newest first.
Written questions
Schools: Special Educational NeedsDepartment for EducationTabled 4 Jul 2025AnsweredUIN 65101More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she has considered opening new specialist SEND schools, in the context of trends in the number of education, health and care plans.
Answer: We recognise the vital role that special schools play catering to children and young people with the most complex needs.The statutory duty to provide sufficient school places for pupils with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) or who require...
Answered 14 Jul 2025
Original Parliament recordBedford Free SchoolDepartment for EducationTabled 4 Jul 2025AnsweredUIN 65100More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when she plans to make a further announcement on the future of the Bedford Free School.
Answer: The review of mainstream free schools has focused on ensuring that government funding is targeted where it is most needed.We understand that trusts and local authorities want to have certainty about their projects as soon as possible. We will provide an u...
Answered 14 Jul 2025
Original Parliament recordApprentices: QualificationsDepartment for EducationTabled 4 Jul 2025AnsweredUIN 65099More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she has had recent discussions with NHS Employers on planned changes to funding for Level 7 apprenticeships.
Answer: This government has a driving mission to break down barriers to opportunity.From January 2026, the government will no longer fund level 7 apprenticeships, equivalent to master’s degree level, except for young apprentices under the age of 22. This will ena...
Answered 14 Jul 2025
Original Parliament recordApprentices: QualificationsDepartment for EducationTabled 4 Jul 2025AnsweredUIN 65098More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make an estimate of the number of people working for state schools who possess a Level 7 apprenticeship qualification.
Answer: The requested information is not collected centrally.
Answered 14 Jul 2025
Original Parliament recordApprentices: FinanceDepartment for EducationTabled 4 Jul 2025AnsweredUIN 65097More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she has made an assessment of the potential impact of changes to funding for Level 7 apprenticeships on costs to the public purse in each of the next five years.
Answer: This government has a driving mission to break down barriers to opportunity.From January 2026, we will no longer fund level 7 apprenticeships, equivalent to master’s degree level, except for young apprentices under the age of 22. This will enable governme...
Answered 14 Jul 2025
Original Parliament recordCivil Servants: QualificationsCabinet OfficeTabled 4 Jul 2025AnsweredUIN 65096More
Question: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will make an estimate of the number of Civil Service employees who possess a Level 7 Apprenticeship qualification.
Answer: The Cabinet Office does not hold this information. We are committed to apprenticeships as a route to improving the skills of our workforce and opening up careers in the civil service around the UK.
Answered 14 Jul 2025
Original Parliament recordMinisters: PensionsCabinet OfficeTabled 4 Jul 2025AnsweredUIN 65095More
Question: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will make an estimate of the cost to the public purse of Ministerial pensions in the (a) 2023-24 and (b) 2024-25 financial year.
Answer: MPs and Ministers have membership to the Parliamentary Contributions Pension Fund (PCPF) of which the ministerial share is typically around 8% of the total exchequer contribution. In 2023/24, the Exchequer paid contributions totalling £7,693,885 into the ...
Answered 14 Jul 2025
Original Parliament recordPublic Houses: Government AssistanceTreasuryTabled 2 Jul 2025AnsweredUIN 64585More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she will take steps to provide provide financial support for communities seeking to bring disused pubs back into use.
Answer: The Government recognises the important role pubs play on our high streets and in community spaces and we want to see them thrive.That is why we have funded a wide range of community assets, including pubs, through the Community Ownership Fund. On 23 Dece...
Answered 10 Jul 2025
Original Parliament recordGREAT: FinanceCabinet OfficeTabled 2 Jul 2025AnsweredUIN 64583More
Question: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will make an estimate of the potential impact of reducing GREAT campaign funding on economic growth.
Answer: I refer the hon. member to the PQs 63750 and 64200.In 2025/26, GREAT has allocated its budget to maximise the economic returns that the programme can deliver with the available resources. This includes delivering targeted campaigns and events in high-prio...
Answered 8 Jul 2025
Original Parliament recordChagos Islands: SovereigntyTreasuryTabled 2 Jul 2025AnsweredUIN 64582More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how the year-on-year spending associated with the Chagos Islands deal will be funded.
Answer: Any financial obligations arising from the UK-Mauritius agreement on the Chagos Archipelago, including departmental budgetary responsibilities, will be managed responsibly within the government’s fiscal framework and reported in annual accounts in the usu...
Answered 10 Jul 2025
Original Parliament recordHospitality IndustryTreasuryTabled 2 Jul 2025AnsweredUIN 64581More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the implications for her policies of UK hospitality's press release entitled, One third of hospitality businesses now operating at a loss, published 2 June 2025.
Answer: The Government is committed to supporting the hospitality sector. That is why we have launched a licensing taskforce to make recommendations to cut red tape and remove barriers to business growth that exist within the UK’s licensing framework. The industr...
Answered 9 Jul 2025
Original Parliament recordNew Towns TaskforceMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 2 Jul 2025AnsweredUIN 64580More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if she will publish the New Towns Taskforce recommendations before 23 July 2025.
Answer: The New Towns Taskforce will submit its final report this summer.
Answered 10 Jul 2025
Original Parliament recordPublic Houses: Business RatesTreasuryTabled 2 Jul 2025AnsweredUIN 64576More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the business rates system on pub closures.
Answer: We are creating a fairer business rates system that protects the high street, supports investment, and is fit for the 21st century. From 2026-27, we intend to introduce permanently lower tax rates for retail, hospitality, and leisure properties with ratea...
Answered 9 Jul 2025
Original Parliament recordHelp to Save SchemeTreasuryTabled 2 Jul 2025AnsweredUIN 64575More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of extending the eligibility criteria for the Help to Save scheme.
Answer: The Help to Save scheme promotes financial resilience among working people on low incomes by encouraging a regular, long-term savings habit and building a financial buffer to help people to plan and prepare for the future. The scheme is only available to ...
Answered 7 Jul 2025
Original Parliament recordHousing: Construction and SalesMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 2 Jul 2025AnsweredUIN 64574More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if she will make an estimate of the amount of capital funding that public sector bodies will spend on (a) building and (b) purchasing houses between July 2024 and July 2029.
Answer: Local authority capital expenditure and financing estimates for the current financial year can be found on gov.uk here.At the Spending Review, we announced £39 billion for a successor to the Affordable Homes Programme over 10 years from 2026-27 to 2035-36...
Answered 10 Jul 2025
Original Parliament recordRoads: Repairs and MaintenanceDepartment for TransportTabled 2 Jul 2025AnsweredUIN 64573More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the document entitled Economic appraisal for investing in local highways maintenance, published on 26 September 2024, what progress her Department has made on publishing its response to the re
Answer: The report entitled Economic appraisal for investing in local highways maintenance referenced was commissioned by the Department for Transport and was published on Gov.uk in November 2024. Alongside other research and evidence, it has informed policy deve...
Answered 10 Jul 2025
Original Parliament recordRoads: Repairs and MaintenanceDepartment for TransportTabled 2 Jul 2025AnsweredUIN 64572More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the potential implications for her policies of the Annual Local Authority Road Maintenance Survey Report 2025, published on 18 March 2025.
Answer: The Government is determined to help local authorities fix our local road network and has drawn on a range of evidence to develop policy and determine funding for local highway maintenance, including the ALARM survey that is commissioned annually by the A...
Answered 10 Jul 2025
Original Parliament recordTrain Operating Companies: StandardsDepartment for TransportTabled 2 Jul 2025AnsweredUIN 64468More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to her Department's press release entitled New dawn for rail as South Western services return to public hands, published on 25 May 2025, what her plans are for operators who fail to meet the stan
Answer: Great British Railways will set a clear quality standard for our railways, so a world class public service can be rebuilt. Ministers intend to recover performance to acceptable levels at all operators, ensuring their leadership has a relentless focus on p...
Answered 10 Jul 2025
Original Parliament recordChiltern Railways: East West Rail LineDepartment for TransportTabled 2 Jul 2025AnsweredUIN 64467More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what process her Department took to appoint Chiltern Railways as the operator of East-West Rail from Oxford-Milton Keynes.
Answer: The Department conducted a review to assess train operating companies’ level of capability and the degree of integration with the first stage of East–West Rail. Chiltern Railways was assessed as providing the best fit and following a negotiation of commer...
Answered 10 Jul 2025
Original Parliament recordA421: FloodsDepartment for TransportTabled 2 Jul 2025AnsweredUIN 64466More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will publish any assessment that National Highways have made of the flooding of the A421 at Marston Moreteyne in September 2024.
Answer: As the Lead Local Flood Authority, Central Bedfordshire Council are producing a Section 19 report to review the flooding that occurred on the A421 in accordance with the Flood and Water Management Act 2010.With publication of the report expected in autumn...
Answered 9 Jul 2025
Original Parliament recordThameslink Line: StandardsDepartment for TransportTabled 2 Jul 2025AnsweredUIN 64465More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much funding her Department has allocated to reducing the number of rail replacement services required on Thameslink services in the 2025-26 financial year.
Answer: The Department requires its train operators to use reasonable endeavours to provide alternative means of transport where they cannot provide their planned train service. Rail replacement bus services are typically provided when parts of the railway are cl...
Answered 10 Jul 2025
Original Parliament recordBus Services: East of EnglandDepartment for TransportTabled 2 Jul 2025AnsweredUIN 64464More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the press release entitled Government pledges greater growth for the coach sector ahead of National Coach Week, published on 6 May 2025, whether she plans to take steps to support the coach se
Answer: The Department recognises the important role the coach sector plays in connecting people and supporting economic growth. The UK coach sector was deregulated by the Transport Act 1980 and as such, services are operated on a commercial basis without receivi...
Answered 7 Jul 2025
Original Parliament recordRailways: AccessDepartment for TransportTabled 2 Jul 2025AnsweredUIN 64463More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to her Department's guidance entitled Persons with Reduced Mobility National Technical Specification Notice, published in December 2017, if she will make an assessment of the adequacy of Appendix
Answer: We recently published the Accessibility National Technical Specification Notice (NTSN), replacing the Persons with Reduced Mobility NTSN. The Accessibility NTSN preserves many specifications inherited from EU law while updating ones that did not have a cl...
Answered 10 Jul 2025
Original Parliament recordMinisterial StatementsLeader of the HouseTabled 2 Jul 2025AnsweredUIN 64462More
Question: To ask the Leader of the House, if she will make an estimate of the number of Government announcements which were made in the House of Commons prior to a Ministerial announcement in the media since July 2024.
Answer: The Ministerial Code is clear, when Parliament is in session the most important announcements of Government policy should be made in the first instance to Parliament. This is an important principle that the government stands by.As of 9th July 2025 there h...
Answered 9 Jul 2025
Original Parliament recordEnergy Performance CertificatesMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 2 Jul 2025AnsweredUIN 64461More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of requiring landlords to update Efficiency Performance Certificates regularly.
Answer: The government is reforming Energy Performance Certificates (EPCs) to ensure that people, including tenants, have access to even more reliable and accurate information about the properties they are renting. Having a regularly updated EPC provides tenants ...
Answered 14 Jul 2025
Original Parliament record
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