Blake Stephenson MP: written questions
1633 published records · newest first.
Written questions
Palestinian Authority: HamasForeign, Commonwealth and Development OfficeTabled 29 Aug 2025AnsweredUIN 72428More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions he has had with his US counterpart on the future role of Hamas in the Palestinian Authority.
Answer: The former Foreign Secretary held regular discussions with his US counterpart on shared priorities, including bringing an end to the war in Gaza, and the new Foreign Secretary will do the same.
Answered 17 Sept 2025
Original Parliament recordHamas: CeasefiresForeign, Commonwealth and Development OfficeTabled 29 Aug 2025AnsweredUIN 72427More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has made representations to Hamas on agreeing US proposals to secure a ceasefire.
Answer: The UK has long retained a policy of no contact with Hamas who are a proscribed terrorist organisation. We are clear that Hamas must neither govern Gaza nor be a threat to Israel anymore.
Answered 17 Sept 2025
Original Parliament recordIsrael: HamasForeign, Commonwealth and Development OfficeTabled 29 Aug 2025AnsweredUIN 72426More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with his US counterpart on diplomatic steps to end the conflict between Hamas and Israel.
Answer: The former Foreign Secretary held regular discussions with his US counterpart on shared priorities, including bringing an end to the war in Gaza, and the new Foreign Secretary will do the same.
Answered 17 Sept 2025
Original Parliament recordGaza: Humanitarian AidForeign, Commonwealth and Development OfficeTabled 29 Aug 2025AnsweredUIN 72425More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking to ensure the safe provision of humanitarian aid to people in need in Gaza.
Answer: The previous Foreign Secretary spoke to Foreign Minister Sa'ar on 23 August to discuss a number of issues including humanitarian aid. We continue to work with partners, including the United Nations and United States, to push for unrestricted humanitarian ...
Answered 17 Sept 2025
Original Parliament recordHealth Services: Mid BedfordshireDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 29 Aug 2025AnsweredUIN 72424More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to ensure the (a) safety, (b) dignity and (c) provision of healthcare for (i) transgender and (ii) non-binary people in Mid Bedfordshire constituency.
Answer: The Denny Review, published in September 2023, investigated health-related inequalities in Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes. This included a report commissioned from Healthwatch Luton on the experiences of LGBT+ people in the town.Subsequently, train...
Answered 15 Sept 2025
Original Parliament recordGender Dysphoria: ChildrenDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 29 Aug 2025AnsweredUIN 72423More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when the new specialist gender centre for children and young people in the East of England will open.
Answer: A Children and Young People’s Gender Service is anticipated to open in the East of England later in the year.NHS England is making progress towards its ambition to open a gender service in each region of England by 2026. Three new services have opened in ...
Answered 11 Sept 2025
Original Parliament recordNew Towns: ConstructionMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 21 Jul 2025AnsweredUIN 69458More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether she has made an assessment of the potential impact of building regulations on the speed of development of new towns.
Answer: The Building Regulations 2010 are intended to protect people’s safety, health and welfare. They establish minimum legal performance standards for the design and construction of new building work. The government assesses the impact of any proposed changes ...
Answered 4 Sept 2025
Original Parliament recordNew Towns: ConstructionMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 21 Jul 2025AnsweredUIN 69457More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of delivery timescales for New Towns Development Corporations on the ability of those corporations to build beautiful house
Answer: Development corporations are well placed to achieve significant volumes of housebuilding at the same time as delivering high-quality and well-designed homes and neighbourhoods.
Answered 3 Sept 2025
Original Parliament recordChagos Islands: SovereigntyForeign, Commonwealth and Development OfficeTabled 4 Jul 2025AnsweredUIN 65104More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has had discussions with his Chinese counterpart on the Chagos Islands deal.
Answer: The UK/Mauritius Agreement on the Chagos Archipelago and Diego Garcia has not been discussed.
Answered 15 Jul 2025
Original Parliament recordAviation: FuelsDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 4 Jul 2025AnsweredUIN 65103More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of amending the waste hierarchy to encourage councils to assign more black bin waste to the production of sustainable aviation fue
Answer: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member for Falkirk on 8 May 2025 to Question 49143.
Answered 8 Jul 2025
Original Parliament recordPupils: AttendanceDepartment for EducationTabled 4 Jul 2025AnsweredUIN 65102More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the most common causes of school absences were in the 2024-25 academic year.
Answer: The department publishes figures on pupil attendance using daily data submitted by state-funded schools. The latest data for the 2024/25 academic year to date is published here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/pupil-att...
Answered 14 Jul 2025
Original Parliament recordSchools: 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 record
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