Blake Stephenson MP: written questions 2025
1235 published records · newest first.
Written questions
GP Surgeries: Repairs and MaintenanceDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 23 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 62010More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to his Department's press notice entitled GP surgery refurbs to enable over 8 million more appointments, published on 6 May 2025, if he will publish a list of the 1000 GP surgeries r
Answer: On 6 May 2025, we announced which primary care schemes are in line to receive funding from the £102 million Primary Care Utilisation and Modernisation Fund. A full list of the schemes being prioritised for funding this year can be found at the following l...
Answered 1 Jul 2025
Original Parliament recordHealth Services: Artificial IntelligenceDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 23 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 62009More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to his Department's press release entitled AI doctors’ assistant to speed up appointments a ‘gamechanger’, published on 27 April 2025, what steps he is taking to ensure quality contr
Answer: NHS England is committed to supporting and enabling the safe deployment and adoption of new technology for the National Health Service. The adoption of ambient voice technology (AVT) solutions holds transformative potential for any care setting. Their ado...
Answered 4 Jul 2025
Original Parliament recordIncinerators: Health HazardsDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 23 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 62008More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the UKHSA's guidance entitled Epidemiological evidence review in the UK and EU, following implementation of the Waste Incineration Directive, published on 9 June 2025, what assess
Answer: The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) is consulted by the Environment Agency (EA) on environmental permit applications to operate municipal waste incinerators (MWIs), in their role as regulator in England. UKHSA reviews the latest scientific evidence on t...
Answered 4 Aug 2025
Original Parliament recordSocial Services: New TownsDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 23 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 62007More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has had discussions with the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government on the role that place-making in new towns could play in reducing demand pressures on the so
Answer: Ministers have regular discussions with Cabinet Office colleagues about a variety of issues, including, but not limited to, place-making in new towns.Under the Care Act 2014, local authorities are tasked with the duty to shape their care markets to meet t...
Answered 3 Jul 2025
Original Parliament recordCommunity CareDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 23 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 62006More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has made an assessment of trends in the level of change in demand for at home social care since 2019.
Answer: The number of local authority-funded social care users in community care settings has risen by approximately 5% between 2019/20 and 2023/24, according to a 2024 National Health Service publication produced in conjunction with the Department. However, this...
Answered 3 Jul 2025
Original Parliament recordCare Workers: Migrant WorkersDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 23 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 62005More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an estimate of the number and proportion of people who entered the UK on a social care work visa in each of the past ten years who are (a) still in the UK and (b) still working in s
Answer: In February 2022, care workers became eligible for the Health and Care Visa and were added to the Shortage Occupation List. Senior care workers were added to the list of eligible occupations for the Health and Care Visa in January 2021, therefore, we are ...
Answered 4 Aug 2025
Original Parliament recordNHS EnglandDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 23 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 61979More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether an impact assessment was carried out on the abolition of NHS England.
Answer: Work is progressing at pace to develop the design and operating model for the new integrated organisation, and to plan for the smooth transfer of people, functions, and responsibilitiesIt is only right that with such significant reform, we commit to caref...
Answered 3 Jul 2025
Original Parliament recordSocial Services: Migrant WorkersDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 20 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 61640More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of social care reforms on levels of demand for immigration.
Answer: It is the Government’s policy to reduce reliance on international recruitment in adult social care and to improve domestic recruitment and retention. The Government recognises the scale of reforms needed to make the adult social care sector attractive, to...
Answered 3 Jul 2025
Original Parliament recordSocial Services: Migrant WorkersDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 20 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 61639More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of social care workforce demand on levels of immigration in each of the last ten years.
Answer: In February 2022, care workers became eligible for the Health and Care Visa and were added to the Shortage Occupation List. Senior care workers were added to the list of eligible occupations for the Health and Care Visa in January 2021.Published data on e...
Answered 3 Jul 2025
Original Parliament recordSocial Services: ReformDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 20 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 61638More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when he plans to make a further announcement on social care reform.
Answer: The independent commission into adult social care, chaired by Baroness Casey, is looking at what fundamental reforms will be needed as we build towards a National Care Service, including what social care should look like, who it should serve, and who shou...
Answered 3 Jul 2025
Original Parliament recordPension CreditDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 20 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 61637More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will make an estimate of the number of pensioners with a net worth of over £1 million who are eligible for pension credit.
Answer: The Department does not collect data on individuals’ net worth.
Answered 26 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordWinter Fuel PaymentDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 20 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 61636More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will make an estimate of the number of pensioners with a net worth of over £1 million who will be eligible to receive Winter Fuel Payments.
Answer: The Department does not collect data on individuals’ net worth.
Answered 26 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordPensioners: IncomeDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 20 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 61635More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will make an estimate of the (a) decile, (b) upper quartile, (c) lower quartile and (d) median annual income of pensioners with a net worth of £1 million or above.
Answer: The Department does not collect data on individuals’ net worth.
Answered 26 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordEmployment: National LandscapesDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 20 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 61634More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of reducing funding to Natural England’s programme to designate or expand National Landscapes on employment.
Answer: Natural England (NE) has the statutory responsibility for identifying areas for new or extended National Landscape designations. Given the pressures on public finances, Defra has had to make difficult decisions about funding. It was not affordable to cont...
Answered 30 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordTaxation: DomicilTreasuryTabled 20 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 61633More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she will make an estimate of how many non-domiciled residents have left the country in each month since July 2024.
Answer: Official Statistics around non-domiciled taxpayers in the UK [1] will be published in July 2025 and will contain information about taxpayers who claim non-domiciled status in the UK for the tax year 2023-24.[1] https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/sta...
Answered 30 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordTransport: North of EnglandTreasuryTabled 20 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 61632More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the press release entitled PM: North will no longer be held to ransom by broken transport system, published on 28 March 2025, how these projects will be funded.
Answer: Spending Review 2025 set transport budgets for day‑to‑day spending until 2028‑29, and until 2029‑30 for capital investment.This included funding for our city regions receiving the final year of City Region Sustainable Transport Settlements (CRSTS 2026-27)...
Answered 30 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordFinancial Services: RegulationTreasuryTabled 20 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 61631More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps her Department plans to take to reduce regulations on financial service businesses.
Answer: In the March Regulation Action Plan, the government committed to cutting the administrative costs of regulation for business by 25% by the end of the Parliament. This will take a whole-of-government approach to establish a baseline for the administrative ...
Answered 26 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordInvestmentTreasuryTabled 20 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 61630More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment her Department has made of the barriers to direct retail investment in shares by UK citizens; and if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of those barriers on economic growth.
Answer: The government is committed to supporting retail participation in UK capital markets to ensure consumers can benefit from the long-term financial security that investing in shares can provide. The government ran a Call for Evidence as part of the Financia...
Answered 26 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordCapital Markets: RegulationTreasuryTabled 20 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 61629More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the introduction of the Private Intermittent Securities and Capital Exchange System on economic growth; and when she expects the regulatory framewor
Answer: I refer the Member to the answer given to his question in PQ UIN 57791 on 12 June 2025.
Answered 26 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordNew TownsMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 20 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 61628More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to page 7 of the New Towns Taskforce’s interim update Building new towns for the future, published in February 2025, what models other than local authority mainten
Answer: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 36088 on 14 March 2025.
Answered 2 Jul 2025
Original Parliament recordNew Towns: Public ConsultationMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 20 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 61627More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to page 6 of the New Towns Taskforce’s interim update Building new towns for the future, published in February 2025, what steps the New Towns Taskforce s taking to
Answer: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 36088 on 14 March 2025.
Answered 2 Jul 2025
Original Parliament recordNew Towns: PlanningMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 20 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 61626More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to page 3 of the New Towns Taskforce’s interim update Building new towns for the future, published in February 2025, whether sites will be considered which were no
Answer: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 36088 on 14 March 2025.
Answered 2 Jul 2025
Original Parliament recordNew TownsMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 20 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 61625More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that New Towns deliver beautiful (a) housing and (b) public realm.
Answer: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 36088 on 14 March 2025.
Answered 2 Jul 2025
Original Parliament recordNew Towns: ApprenticesMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 20 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 61624More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if she will make an assessment on the potential implications for her policies on New Towns of the decision to end Chartered Town Planning Level 7 apprenticeship funding.
Answer: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 36088 on 14 March 2025.
Answered 2 Jul 2025
Original Parliament recordLocal Government: Artificial IntelligenceDepartment for Science, Innovation and TechnologyTabled 19 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 61257More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, with reference to the press release entitled AI experiments see “Humphrey” help townhalls cut costs and improve services, published on 23 May 2025, if he will publish the quality assura
Answer: Minute is currently undergoing Alpha trials across the public sector, including a discovery with 25 local authorities. After this concludes in July, we will publish a summary of the findings and set the direction for the project.
Answered 27 Jun 2025
Original Parliament record
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