Blake Stephenson MP: written questions
1633 published records · newest first.
Written questions
Wind 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 recordSmall Modular Reactors: NewcleoDepartment for Energy Security and Net ZeroTabled 22 Oct 2025AnsweredUIN 84545More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether he has made an assessment of the causes of Newcleo’s decision not to pursue its investment in nuclear reactors in the UK.
Answer: Government is aware that Newcleo Ltd has taken the decision to suspend its activities in the UK. While it is disappointing to see a company scale back UK activities, this is ultimately a commercial decision for the company.
Answered 31 Oct 2025
Original Parliament recordStellantis: LutonDepartment for Business and TradeTabled 22 Oct 2025AnsweredUIN 84542More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether he has made an estimate of the number of Stellantis Luton workers who have not yet found alternative employment as of 1 September 2025.
Answer: The Department for Business and Trade has not made an estimate of the number of Stellantis Luton workers who have not yet found alternative employment as of 1 September 2025. The Government worked with Stellantis, Unite the Union and other partners to sup...
Answered 29 Oct 2025
Original Parliament recordPost Offices: Banking HubsDepartment for Business and TradeTabled 22 Oct 2025AnsweredUIN 84541More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of opening Post Office branches within Banking Hubs.
Answer: Thousands of Post Offices already provide the same everyday banking services, such as cash withdrawals and deposits, that are available at Banking Hubs. In its published response to the Government’s Post Office Green Paper, Post Office recently set out ho...
Answered 31 Oct 2025
Original Parliament recordPost Offices: Rural AreasDepartment for Business and TradeTabled 22 Oct 2025AnsweredUIN 84540More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of Post Office services on rural communities.
Answer: Post Office services are vital to rural communities, providing access to mail, cash, banking, bill payments, and government services. Around 41% of branches are in rural areas, and 99% of the rural population lives within three miles of a branch. The Gove...
Answered 28 Oct 2025
Original Parliament recordBritish Industrial Competitiveness Scheme: Motor VehiclesDepartment for Business and TradeTabled 22 Oct 2025AnsweredUIN 84539More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, with reference to the press release entitled Powering Britain's future: Electricity bills to be slashed for over 7,000 businesses in major industry shake-up, published on 22 June 2025, whether vehicle
Answer: The Government’s Modern Industrial Strategy states that the British Industrial Competitiveness Scheme “will benefit manufacturing electricity intensive frontier industries in the IS-8, such as automotive and aerospace, and foundational manufacturing indus...
Answered 27 Oct 2025
Original Parliament recordBritish Industrial Competitiveness SchemeDepartment for Business and TradeTabled 22 Oct 2025AnsweredUIN 84538More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, with reference to the press release entitled Powering Britain's future: Electricity bills to be slashed for over 7,000 businesses in major industry shake-up, published on 22 June 2025, what estimate he
Answer: As stated in the Modern Industrial Strategy, we intend to fund the British Industrial Competitiveness Scheme by bearing down on levies and other costs in the energy system.
Answered 27 Oct 2025
Original Parliament recordNational Wealth FundTreasuryTabled 20 Oct 2025AnsweredUIN 83588More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the value is of Government funding to the National Wealth Fund that is unspent.
Answer: As of 14 October 2025, the National Wealth Fund has committed £7.5 billion to projects supporting the Government’s growth and clean energy missions, mobilising £16.2 billion in private finance. This is just over 25% of NWF’s £27.8 billion capitalisation. ...
Answered 23 Oct 2025
Original Parliament recordRevenue and Customs: StandardsTreasuryTabled 14 Oct 2025AnsweredUIN 82069More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent estimate she has made of the of the average customer response times at HM Revenue & Customs.
Answer: HMRC regularly publishes its performance on GOV.UK https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/hmrc-quarterly-performance-updates Improving day-to-day performance is a key priority for HMRC.
Answered 17 Oct 2025
Original Parliament recordGeneral PractitionersDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 14 Oct 2025AnsweredUIN 82068More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the 10 Year Health Plan, how many GPs per neighbourhood will there be under the Neighbourhood Health Service.
Answer: General practices (GPs) will be the cornerstone of the Neighbourhood Health Service. We anticipate that GPs will play a key role in providing clinical leadership for integrated neighbourhood teams.We expect neighbourhood teams and services to be designed ...
Answered 22 Oct 2025
Original Parliament recordDeportation: FranceHome OfficeTabled 14 Oct 2025AnsweredUIN 82067More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate she has made of the number of newly arrived illegal migrants that will be deported to France in 2025/26.
Answer: Returns to France under the UK-France returns agreement commenced on 18 September 2025.This is a pilot that we want to expand and therefore the numbers will vary. We will not go into the operational details as this would provide criminal smuggling gangs w...
Answered 22 Oct 2025
Original Parliament recordNational Housing BankMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 14 Oct 2025AnsweredUIN 82066More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the build-out guarantees that will be required to secure National Housing Bank funding.
Answer: On 17 June, the government announced that it would establish a new National Housing Bank, a subsidiary of Homes England which will be publicly owned and backed with £16 billion of financial capacity to accelerate housebuilding in England.My Department is ...
Answered 24 Oct 2025
Original Parliament recordWealthTreasuryTabled 14 Oct 2025AnsweredUIN 82065More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether her Department's definition of a millionaire includes (a) assets, (b) the outstanding value of pension pots and (c) income levels in the context of (i) winter fuel payments and (ii) other policies.
Answer: The Winter Fuel Payment will be paid to those with total incomes below or equal to £35,000. This means those on lower and middle incomes will still receive the help they need and ensures fairness for both pensioners and taxpayers. The standard definition ...
Answered 22 Oct 2025
Original Parliament recordIntegrated Care BoardsDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 14 Oct 2025AnsweredUIN 82064More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to page 7 of the NHS 10 Year Plan, if he will set out the circumstances in which integrated care board boundaries will differ from those of mayoralty authorities.
Answer: It remains the Government’s ambition for integrated care boards (ICBs) to be coterminous with one or more strategic authorities wherever feasible, a commitment made in the English devolution white paper and reaffirmed in our 10-Year Health Plan. Next summ...
Answered 22 Oct 2025
Original Parliament recordOverseas Students: VisasDepartment for EducationTabled 13 Oct 2025AnsweredUIN 81549More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what data her Department holds on the proportion of student visa holders who progress to graduation.
Answer: The department does not hold data on what proportion of student visa holders progress to graduation, however, data on non-UK domicile entrants is collected by the Office for Students (OfS).The OfS publish data on the completion rates of entrants. For full...
Answered 31 Oct 2025
Original Parliament recordDisadvantaged: StatisticsMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 13 Oct 2025AnsweredUIN 81548More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if he will ask the Office for National Statistics to produce deprivation statistics at output area level.
Answer: The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government announced recently that the English Indices of Deprivation 2025 will be published on Thursday 30th October 2025. This has been confirmed on GOV.UK As part of this, the Department is working to enha...
Answered 22 Oct 2025
Original Parliament recordCivil Servants: ApprenticesCabinet OfficeTabled 13 Oct 2025AnsweredUIN 81547More
Question: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many civil servants are employed on Level 7 apprenticeships.
Answer: As of 31 December 2024, there were 1,635 Level 7 apprentices across the Civil Service. This government remains committed to apprenticeships as one pathway to break down barriers to opportunity.
Answered 21 Oct 2025
Original Parliament recordState Retirement Pensions: Undocumented WorkersDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 13 Oct 2025AnsweredUIN 81546More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether his Department withholds state pension payments to people convicted of illegal working.
Answer: Anyone convicted of a criminal offence and serving a custodial sentence in the UK is not eligible to receive State Pension payments during their imprisonment. People not in prison but convicted of illegal working, would not be making National Insurance co...
Answered 22 Oct 2025
Original Parliament recordPensioners: HousingDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 13 Oct 2025AnsweredUIN 81545More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether he has made an assessment of the likely mix of housing occupancy types for people attaining state pension age in each of the next five decades.
Answer: The Government has relaunched the Pensions Commission to consider the outcomes and risks for future cohorts of pensioners, taking into consideration the role housing plays amongst other factors. The Commission will report in 2027.
Answered 20 Oct 2025
Original Parliament recordPublic Sector: Workplace PensionsTreasuryTabled 13 Oct 2025AnsweredUIN 81544More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of public sector headcount on the financial sustainability of public sector pension schemes.
Answer: The Government’s central measure of the affordability of public service pensions is long-term public service pension spending as a share of GDP. Public sector headcount is considered in several ways within this measure, using the OBR’s long-term assumptio...
Answered 21 Oct 2025
Original Parliament recordLocal Government Pension SchemeMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 13 Oct 2025AnsweredUIN 81543More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of staffing levels in local government on the financial sustainability of the Local Government Pension Scheme.
Answer: The Local Government Pension Scheme is well funded, with a funding level of 107% at the 2022 fund valuation. The 2025 valuation is currently underway, which will value the assets and liabilities of each fund, and set employer contributions locally to ensu...
Answered 20 Oct 2025
Original Parliament recordMigrant Workers: National InsuranceTreasuryTabled 13 Oct 2025AnsweredUIN 81542More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether her Department checks that National Insurance numbers associated with visa-holders cease being associated with tax payments at the expiry of work visas.
Answer: The National Insurance (NI) number is a reference number for the administration of National Insurance and social security, and is used more widely in tax administration. The NI number does not expire or cease being associated with an individual if their v...
Answered 20 Oct 2025
Original Parliament recordMigrant Workers: Income Tax and National Insurance ContributionsTreasuryTabled 13 Oct 2025AnsweredUIN 81541More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether her Department undertakes checks on whether holders of work visas are paying (a) Income Tax and (b) National Insurance.
Answer: HMRC have interpreted ‘checks’ in this instance as ‘compliance checks’ on taxpayers with tax and National Insurance owed in the UK. HMRC takes a risk-based approach to compliance and focuses its resources where tax is most at risk of not being paid. This ...
Answered 21 Oct 2025
Original Parliament record
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