Blake Stephenson MP: written questions 2025
1235 published records · newest first.
Written questions
Railways: TicketsDepartment for TransportTabled 11 Nov 2025AnsweredUIN 89805More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the press release entitled Cutting-edge rail ticket technology to be trialled across the Midlands and North, published on 1 September 2025, for what reason East Midlands Rail and Northern were
Answer: The routes in the East Midlands and Yorkshire operated by East Midlands Railway and Northern were selected as being areas of the rail network that do not have existing or planned Pay-As-You-Go schemes and with large enough passenger numbers to give statis...
Answered 18 Nov 2025
Original Parliament recordElectric Vehicles: GrantsDepartment for TransportTabled 11 Nov 2025AnsweredUIN 89804More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether her Department has carried out a value for money analysis of the Electric Car Grant.
Answer: Yes, the Department has completed an internal value for money assessment for the Electric Car Grant. Officials will continue to monitor the grant, and assess its value for money, to ensure taxpayers’ money is spent in a cost-effective manner.
Answered 17 Nov 2025
Original Parliament recordMinistry of Justice: Public Consultation and ReviewsMinistry of JusticeTabled 11 Nov 2025AnsweredUIN 89803More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will make an estimate of the cost to the public purse of (a) consultations and (b) reviews conducted by his Department since 4 July 2024.
Answer: The information requested is not centrally held in an easily accessible form as there are no expenditure categories that just cover consultations or reviews.Due to this any response could only be collated and verified for the purposes of answering this qu...
Answered 19 Nov 2025
Original Parliament recordCourts: BedfordshireMinistry of JusticeTabled 11 Nov 2025AnsweredUIN 89802More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to the press release entitled Crime cutting courts to target prolific offending hotspots, published on 25 July 2025, whether the expansion will include Bedfordshire.
Answer: The expansion of Intensive Supervision Courts, as set out in the press release of 25 July 2025, builds on the success of the pilot in Birmingham, Bristol, Liverpool and Teesside. Following this, the Ministry of Justice launched an open Expression of Inter...
Answered 19 Nov 2025
Original Parliament recordProperty Development: Small BusinessesMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 11 Nov 2025AnsweredUIN 89801More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what proportion of residential development projects had a main developer which was classified as an SME in each of the last five years.
Answer: This information is not recorded by my Department.
Answered 19 Nov 2025
Original Parliament recordMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local Government: Public Consultation and ReviewsMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 11 Nov 2025AnsweredUIN 89800More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if he will make an estimate of the cost to the public purse of (a) consultations and (b) reviews conducted by his Department since 4 July 2024.
Answer: This Government is committed to using reviews, consultations and wider public engagement to inform effective decision-making and delivery. These activities are undertaken as part of the Department’s routine business, and costs are not separately recorded ...
Answered 20 Nov 2025
Original Parliament recordHousing: Planning PermissionMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 11 Nov 2025AnsweredUIN 89799More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether he has made an assessment of the proportion of planning applications rejected by Councils in each of the last five years, broken down by controlling political party.
Answer: The proportions of planning applications that have been rejected in each of the past five years in England and in London can be derived from the data available in the PS2 time series section of the interactive planning application statistics dashboard, av...
Answered 19 Nov 2025
Original Parliament recordHousing: Greater LondonMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 11 Nov 2025AnsweredUIN 89798More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if he will make an estimate of the proportion of planning applications which have been rejected in each of the past five years in London.
Answer: The proportions of planning applications that have been rejected in each of the past five years in England and in London can be derived from the data available in the PS2 time series section of the interactive planning application statistics dashboard, av...
Answered 19 Nov 2025
Original Parliament recordHousing: Planning PermissionMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 11 Nov 2025AnsweredUIN 89797More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if he will make an estimate of the proportion of planning applications that have been rejected in each of the past five years in England.
Answer: The proportions of planning applications that have been rejected in each of the past five years in England and in London can be derived from the data available in the PS2 time series section of the interactive planning application statistics dashboard, av...
Answered 19 Nov 2025
Original Parliament recordHousing: Greater LondonMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 11 Nov 2025AnsweredUIN 89796More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what information his Department holds on the number of houses that have been rejected for planning permission in Greater London since 4 July 2024.
Answer: The proportions of planning applications that have been rejected in each of the past five years in England and in London can be derived from the data available in the PS2 time series section of the interactive planning application statistics dashboard, av...
Answered 19 Nov 2025
Original Parliament recordHousing: Urban AreasMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 11 Nov 2025AnsweredUIN 89795More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what data his Department holds on the number of houses in urban areas which have been rejected for planning permission since 4 July 2024.
Answer: The proportions of planning applications that have been rejected in each of the past five years in England and in London can be derived from the data available in the PS2 time series section of the interactive planning application statistics dashboard, av...
Answered 19 Nov 2025
Original Parliament recordLocal GovernmentMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 11 Nov 2025AnsweredUIN 89794More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether his Department has conducted research on the public’s understanding of the roles and responsibilities of different (a) local and (b) national government (i) authorities a
Answer: The department has not conducted research on the public’s understanding of the roles and responsibilities of different (a) local and (b) national government (i) authorities and (ii) office holders.
Answered 19 Nov 2025
Original Parliament recordDangerous Dogs Act 1991Department for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 11 Nov 2025AnsweredUIN 89793More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether she has made a recent assessment of the effectiveness of the enforcement of the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991.
Answer: Defra is continuing to engage closely with the Police, local authorities, and rescue and rehoming organisations to monitor the impacts of the XL Bully dog ban. We are also working with the police, local authorities and animal welfare groups to explore mea...
Answered 19 Nov 2025
Original Parliament recordFlood Control: FinanceMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 11 Nov 2025AnsweredUIN 89792More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of providing statutory funding for tackling flooding to fire and rescue services in England.
Answer: Protecting communities from flooding is a key priority for this Government. Fire and Rescue Authorities already have duties under the Civil Contingencies Act 2004 to prepare for emergencies, including major flooding. However, we recognise the interest in ...
Answered 18 Nov 2025
Original Parliament recordDepartment of Health and Social Care: Public Consultation and ReviewsDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 11 Nov 2025AnsweredUIN 89791More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an estimate of the cost to the public purse of (a) consultations and (b) reviews conducted by his Department since 4 July 2024.
Answer: Consultations and reviews form part of everyday policymaking in the Department, making it impossible to disaggregate a figure for salary costs specifically relating to consultations. Therefore, the information requested is not held.
Answered 24 Nov 2025
Original Parliament recordNHS: ApprenticesDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 11 Nov 2025AnsweredUIN 89790More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 8 September 2025 to Question 73473 on Health Services: Apprentices, if he will make an estimate of the cost to the public purse of funding the provision of those Level 7 a
Answer: Funding for the continuation of Level 7 apprenticeships in five professions has been agreed by NHS England and the Department for courses starting from 1 January 2026 up to 31 March 2029. Funding can be used by employers to cover education costs which wou...
Answered 19 Nov 2025
Original Parliament recordNHS Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes: FinanceDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 11 Nov 2025AnsweredUIN 89789More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 8 September 2025 to Question 73482 on Integrated Care Boards: Finance, if he will make an estimate of the potential impact of the use of five-year population projections o
Answer: Allocations are determined through a complex, weighted capitation formula that incorporates multiple factors beyond population projections, including age, sex, need, and cost adjustments. Isolating the effect of a single component would not accurately ref...
Answered 19 Nov 2025
Original Parliament recordDepartment for Energy Security and Net Zero: Public Consultation and ReviewsDepartment for Energy Security and Net ZeroTabled 11 Nov 2025AnsweredUIN 89788More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, if he will make an estimate of the cost to the public purse of (a) consultations and (b) reviews conducted by his Department since 4 July 2024.
Answer: There has been no spend by the communications team at the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero on promoting (a) consultations and (b) reviews since the department formed in 2023. It is not possible to distinguish time and resource spent by other st...
Answered 19 Nov 2025
Original Parliament recordDriverless Vehicles: Rural AreasDepartment for TransportTabled 11 Nov 2025AnsweredUIN 89787More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she has made an assessment of the potential impact of rural roads on self-driving vehicles.
Answer: The Automated Vehicles Act 2024 (AV Act) sets out a comprehensive legal framework with safety at its core.The Act introduces a new authorisation process that will test self-driving capability and identify a corporation to be held accountable for vehicles ...
Answered 17 Nov 2025
Original Parliament recordArtificial Intelligence: General PractitionersDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 10 Nov 2025AnsweredUIN 89011More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology's press release entitled AI to cut paperwork to free up doctors’ time for patients, published on 16 August 2025, if he will m
Answer: The Department does not hold a single national figure for time saved per patient discharge across all National Health Service settings. However, trials referenced in the Department’s press release of 16 August 2025 and subsequent trials indicate that the ...
Answered 24 Nov 2025
Original Parliament recordArtificial Intelligence: General PractitionersDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 10 Nov 2025AnsweredUIN 89010More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to Department for Science, Innovation and Technology's press release entitled AI to cut paperwork to free up doctors’ time for patients, published on 16 August 2025, if he will publi
Answer: The Department does not maintain statutory definitions of “medical expert” or “full review”. For the purposes of the press release issued on 16 August 2025, “medical expert” refers to a registered healthcare professional with relevant clinical expertise w...
Answered 24 Nov 2025
Original Parliament recordDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: Public Consultation and ReviewsDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 10 Nov 2025AnsweredUIN 89009More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will make an estimate of the cost to the public purse of (a) consultations and (b) reviews conducted by her Department since 4 July 2024.
Answer: An answer could only be provided by incurring disproportionate costs.
Answered 5 Dec 2025
Original Parliament recordFood: ProductionDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 10 Nov 2025AnsweredUIN 89008More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether she has made an assessment of the likely trends in food production over the coming decade.
Answer: The UK Food Security Report sets out an analysis of statistics relating to food security, providing an evidence base to inform future government policy and public understanding. It tracks trends in domestic production, import reliance, inflation, and supp...
Answered 18 Nov 2025
Original Parliament recordWater Supply: InfrastructureDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 10 Nov 2025AnsweredUIN 89007More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will make an estimate of the level of (a) water and (b) sewage infrastructure investment required to maintain existing levels of capacity, in the context of the Government’s pla
Answer: Ofwat’s Price Review 2024 (PR24) final determinations set a total expenditure allowance of £104 billion over the 2025-2030 period. This provides:£60 billion of base expenditure to maintain the long-term capability of assets.£1.8 billion to increase capaci...
Answered 17 Nov 2025
Original Parliament recordWater Supply: InfrastructureDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 10 Nov 2025AnsweredUIN 89006More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to his Department's press release entitled Reed: Government to cut sewage pollution in half by 2030, published on 19 July 2025, what discussions she has had with the Sec
Answer: The Government is committed to requiring sustainable drainage systems in new developments and we are working together with MHCLG to ensure that new developments do not overwhelm the existing sewerage network. Defra has established the Ministerial Water De...
Answered 17 Nov 2025
Original Parliament record
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