Blake Stephenson MP: written questions
1633 published records · newest first.
Written questions
Import Duties: USADepartment for Business and TradeTabled 3 Sept 2025AnsweredUIN 74685More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of US tariffs on economic growth.
Answer: My department has been assessing the impact of US tariffs on the UK economy, in a rapidly changing global trading environment. We are constantly engaging directly with businesses from across all sectors to gather real time intelligence on the impact of ta...
Answered 22 Sept 2025
Original Parliament recordAviation: Alternative FuelsDepartment for TransportTabled 3 Sept 2025AnsweredUIN 74684More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she plans to introduce incentives for British businesses that produce Sustainable Aviation Fuels.
Answer: The Government is clear on the merits of Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) and that increasing its use is a key measure to decarbonising aviation. We want the UK to capture its share of the global SAF market and are helping businesses in the UK play a leadi...
Answered 12 Sept 2025
Original Parliament recordAviation: Alternative FuelsDepartment for TransportTabled 3 Sept 2025AnsweredUIN 74683More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of increasing Sustainable Aviation Fuel production in the UK.
Answer: The Government is clear on the merits of Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) and that increasing its use is a key measure to decarbonising aviation. We want the UK to capture its share of the global SAF market and are helping businesses in the UK play a leadi...
Answered 12 Sept 2025
Original Parliament recordBusinessTreasuryTabled 3 Sept 2025AnsweredUIN 74682More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she will make an assessment of recent trends in the level of business confidence.
Answer: The Government monitors a wide range of indicators to assess the UK’s economic performance, including measures of business confidence. Many of these are volatile and can move materially from month to month. Official economic forecasts and assessments of p...
Answered 11 Sept 2025
Original Parliament recordBus Services: FinanceDepartment for TransportTabled 2 Sept 2025AnsweredUIN 74262More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the press release entitled Government protects thousands of miles of bus services from being scrapped, published on 3 June 2025, whether her Department plans to provide additional funding to l
Answer: Repealing the ban on establishing new local authority bus companies (LABCos) will give local leaders the freedom and flexibility to establish a bus company that matches the needs of their passengers, their aims and ambitions for the network, and the avail...
Answered 9 Sept 2025
Original Parliament recordPlanning ObligationsMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 2 Sept 2025AnsweredUIN 74261More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if she will make an assessment of the national distribution of the length of time between the date on which developers and local authorities agree funding under section 106 of th
Answer: Planning practice guidance on planning obligations, which can be found on gov.uk here, states that the terms of commuted contributions should form part of the discussions between a developer and a local planning authority and be reflected in any planning ...
Answered 15 Sept 2025
Original Parliament recordPlanning Authorities: ApprenticesMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 2 Sept 2025AnsweredUIN 74260More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of reforms to Level 7 apprenticeships on the Pathways to Planning programme.
Answer: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 67508 on 21 July 2025 and Question UIN 54911 on 10 June 2025.
Answered 15 Sept 2025
Original Parliament recordBedfordshire: Combined AuthoritiesMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 2 Sept 2025AnsweredUIN 74259More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to the Written Statement on Local Government Reorganisation of 3 June 2025, HCWS676, for what reason Bedfordshire has not received funding to support development
Answer: Local government reorganisation and the establishment of mayoral combined authorities through devolution are separate processes. While funding was made available for the 21 two-tier areas developing proposals for new unitary authorities as part of local g...
Answered 15 Sept 2025
Original Parliament recordNew Towns: ConstructionMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 2 Sept 2025AnsweredUIN 74258More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to page 19 of the report entitled New Towns for England, published by WPI Strategy in May 2025, which funding model the Government is considering.
Answer: The government has tasked the New Towns Taskforce, an independent expert advisory panel chaired by Sir Michael Lyons, with developing recommendations to ministers on suitable locations for new towns, as well as how to fund and deliver them. The Taskforce ...
Answered 9 Sept 2025
Original Parliament recordNew Towns: ConstructionMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 2 Sept 2025AnsweredUIN 74257More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to page 3 of the report entitled New Towns for England, published by WPI Strategy in May 2025, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of modula
Answer: The government has tasked the New Towns Taskforce, an independent expert advisory panel chaired by Sir Michael Lyons, with developing recommendations to ministers on suitable locations for new towns, as well as how to fund and deliver them. The Taskforce ...
Answered 9 Sept 2025
Original Parliament recordNew Towns: ConstructionMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 2 Sept 2025AnsweredUIN 74256More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to page 2 of the the report entitled New Towns for England, published by WPI Strategy in May 2025, whether her Department has made an assessment of the accuracy of
Answer: The government has tasked the New Towns Taskforce, an independent expert advisory panel chaired by Sir Michael Lyons, with developing recommendations to ministers on suitable locations for new towns, as well as how to fund and deliver them. The Taskforce ...
Answered 9 Sept 2025
Original Parliament recordWinter Fuel PaymentDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 2 Sept 2025AnsweredUIN 74255More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will conduct a lessons learned review from the initial period of the decision to withdraw universal Winter Fuel Payments.
Answer: The Government linked eligibility for Winter Fuel Payments to receipt of Pension Credit or certain other benefits for winter 2024/25 to help address immediate fiscal pressures, and to focus them on those with the lowest incomes. From this winter (2025/26)...
Answered 5 Sept 2025
Original Parliament recordAviation: Alternative FuelsDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 2 Sept 2025AnsweredUIN 74254More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps she is taking to support employment in the production of Sustainable Aviation Fuels.
Answer: This government recognises the importance of the clean energy sector to economic growth. The Department works closely with DfT to help people on benefits find employment with employers in the transport sector. Government support for low carbon fuel produc...
Answered 10 Sept 2025
Original Parliament recordPension CreditDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 2 Sept 2025AnsweredUIN 74253More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of increasing the pension credit threshold.
Answer: The rates of Pension Credit are reviewed annually as part of the Secretary of State’s statutory review of State pension and benefit rates. Following the last review in Autumn 2024, the Standard Minimum Guarantee in Pension Credit increased by 4.1% in line...
Answered 5 Sept 2025
Original Parliament recordTaxation: DomicilTreasuryTabled 2 Sept 2025AnsweredUIN 74252More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential implications for her policies of the findings of the report entitled Impact of changes to the UK non-domiciled regime, published by the Centre for Econo
Answer: The Government’s priority is improving the UK’s competitiveness internationally and securing economic growth. The non-dom reforms have been specifically designed to make the UK competitive with a modern, simple tax regime that is also fair. The reforms es...
Answered 10 Sept 2025
Original Parliament recordAgriculture and Business: Inheritance TaxTreasuryTabled 2 Sept 2025AnsweredUIN 74251More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of changes to Agricultural and Business Property Relief on the economy of the East of England.
Answer: The Government believes its reforms to agricultural property relief and business property relief from 6 April 2026 get the balance right between supporting farms and businesses, and fixing the public finances. The reforms reduce the inheritance tax advant...
Answered 10 Sept 2025
Original Parliament recordAgriculture and Business: Inheritance TaxTreasuryTabled 2 Sept 2025AnsweredUIN 74250More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential implications for her policies of the findings of the report entitled Taxing Futures: The economic and fiscal implications of changes to BPR & APR for UK
Answer: The Government believes its reforms to agricultural property relief and business property relief from 6 April 2026 get the balance right between supporting farms and businesses, and fixing the public finances. The reforms reduce the inheritance tax advant...
Answered 10 Sept 2025
Original Parliament recordLondon Stock ExchangeTreasuryTabled 2 Sept 2025AnsweredUIN 74249More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she will make an assessment of the impact of her Budget in 2024 on the performance of AIM shares.
Answer: The UK’s capital markets play a key role in delivering on the government’s growth mission. We have already delivered an ambitious set of reforms to make it easier for firms to start, scale, list and stay on UK markets, and capital markets are a core pilla...
Answered 8 Sept 2025
Original Parliament recordAir Passenger DutyTreasuryTabled 2 Sept 2025AnsweredUIN 74248More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 13 May 2025 to Question 49823 on Air Passenger Duty: Economic Growth, if she will estimate the potential impact of higher rates of Air Passenger Duty on the number of flights taken.
Answer: As set out in the March 2025 OBR forecast, passenger numbers are expected to exceed pre-pandemic levels in the coming year, and are expected to be around 10% higher than 2024-25 once the new APD rates are implemented in 2026-27. The expected passenger gro...
Answered 10 Sept 2025
Original Parliament recordNatural England: FinanceDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 2 Sept 2025AnsweredUIN 74247More
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 for Natural England's programme to (a) designate and (b) expand National Landscapes on economic growth.
Answer: Given the pressures on public finances, Defra has had to make difficult decisions about funding. It was not affordable to continue Defra funding to Natural England to continue the new National Landscapes designations programme in 25/26. As such, Natural E...
Answered 9 Sept 2025
Original Parliament recordBusiness Rates: Beer and Public HousesTreasuryTabled 2 Sept 2025AnsweredUIN 74246More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether she plans reforms to encourage (a) investment and (b) growth in the (i) beer and (ii) pub sector.
Answer: The Government recognises the vital role that pubs play in supporting communities and local economies such as in Mid Bedfordshire. That’s why we are streamlining licensing via a new National Licensing Policy Framework to be more modern, proportionate, and...
Answered 10 Sept 2025
Original Parliament recordBusiness Rates: Beer and Public HousesTreasuryTabled 2 Sept 2025AnsweredUIN 74245More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she will make an assessment of the long-term economic benefits of permanently reducing the business rates multiplier for the (a) beer and (b) pub sectors.
Answer: To deliver our manifesto pledge, we intend to introduce permanently lower tax rates for retail, hospitality, and leisure (RHL) properties with rateable values below £500,000, from 2026-27. This permanent tax cut will ensure that RHL businesses benefit fro...
Answered 10 Sept 2025
Original Parliament recordBusiness Rates: Coastal Areas and Rural AreasTreasuryTabled 2 Sept 2025AnsweredUIN 74244More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that business rates reform supports regional economic growth in (a) rural and (b) coastal areas.
Answer: The Government is creating a fairer business rates system that protects the high street, supports investment and is fit for the 21st century. To ensure that key amenities are available, and that community assets are protected in rural areas, Rural Rates R...
Answered 10 Sept 2025
Original Parliament recordRailwaysDepartment for TransportTabled 1 Sept 2025AnsweredUIN 73787More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of open access rail operators on (a) connectivity, (b) passenger choice and (c) service quality.
Answer: In the right circumstances, Open Access can provide benefits such as improved connectivity and choice for passengers but can also increase costs to taxpayers and create additional performance pressures on an already constrained network. We are clear that ...
Answered 8 Sept 2025
Original Parliament recordNew Towns: ConstructionMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 1 Sept 2025AnsweredUIN 73786More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if she will make an estimate of the potential cost to (a) the public purse and (b) private developers of constructing 12 new towns.
Answer: The government has tasked the New Towns Taskforce, an independent expert advisory panel chaired by Sir Michael Lyons, with developing recommendations to ministers on suitable locations for new towns, as well as how to fund and deliver them. The Taskforce ...
Answered 9 Sept 2025
Original Parliament record
Published records only — not a full account of an MP’s work. How we work →