Blake Stephenson MP: written questions
1633 published records · newest first.
Written questions
Egypt: Religious OrdersForeign, Commonwealth and Development OfficeTabled 1 Jul 2025AnsweredUIN 64208More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has had discussions with his Egyptian counterpart on the seizure of St. Catherine’s Monastery.
Answer: The UK Government recognises St Catherine's Monastery's historical and religious importance and tracks this long-standing land ownership dispute. Our Embassy in Cairo participated in discussions with the Egyptian Government on this issue on 30 May. We wil...
Answered 9 Jul 2025
Original Parliament recordFlood Control: Owner OccupationDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 1 Jul 2025AnsweredUIN 64207More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 6 June 2025 to Question 55512 on Flood Control: Owner Occupation, how much funding (a) his Department and (b) the Environment Agency have allocated for promot
Answer: Raising awareness of flood and coastal erosion risk is one of the Environment Agency’s (EA) key priorities and supports actions set out in the National FCERM Strategy. Flood resilience engagement advisors lead the EA’s work with communities at risk of flo...
Answered 8 Jul 2025
Original Parliament recordFlood Control: Owner OccupationDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 1 Jul 2025AnsweredUIN 64206More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 6 June 2025 to Question 55512 on Flood Control: Owner Occupation, if he will direct the Environment Agency to hold a community engagement event on flood risk
Answer: Since the flooding across Bedfordshire and Cambridgeshire in Autumn last year, the Environment Agency (EA) has hosted community events alongside other partner agencies. These were well received and strengthened local engagement around flood risk. In the M...
Answered 8 Jul 2025
Original Parliament recordChilterns: ExpenditureDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 1 Jul 2025AnsweredUIN 64205More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how much his Department spent on the Chilterns National Landscape Boundary Review project.
Answer: The total cost of Natural England’s consultancy contracts on the Chilterns National Landscape Boundary Review project is approximately £430,000.00. This cost includes the production of all the technical reports as well as support for some engagement work ...
Answered 8 Jul 2025
Original Parliament recordParthenon Sculptures: TourismDepartment for Culture, Media and SportTabled 1 Jul 2025AnsweredUIN 64204More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether she has made an estimate of the potential impact of the Parthenon Marbles on the economic value of tourism.
Answer: No.
Answered 10 Jul 2025
Original Parliament recordParthenon SculpturesDepartment for Culture, Media and SportTabled 1 Jul 2025AnsweredUIN 64203More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether she has had recent discussions with the Chair of the British Museum on the Parthenon Marbles.
Answer: As the British Museum is a DCMS Arm’s Length Body, I regularly meet and talk with the Chair. The Parthenon Sculptures is one of a number of issues that we occasionally discuss.Decisions relating to the care and management of the Parthenon Sculptures are a...
Answered 21 Jul 2025
Original Parliament recordPublic Bodies: ComplaintsCabinet OfficeTabled 1 Jul 2025AnsweredUIN 64202More
Question: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will make it his policy to create a single public reporting service for problems at (a) local and (b) national government level.
Answer: This Government is determined to reforming the state to deliver high quality public services and better value for money for the taxpayer. The Government recognises the importance of transparency of public services, that appropriate feedback mechanisms hel...
Answered 9 Jul 2025
Original Parliament recordCabinet Office: Sick LeaveCabinet OfficeTabled 1 Jul 2025AnsweredUIN 64201More
Question: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many (a) unauthorised and (b) sickness absences there were in the civil service in each of the last five years.
Answer: Sickness absence data for the Civil Service is published annually, and is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/sickness-absence. Individual departments are responsible for managing their workforces, including any instances of unauthor...
Answered 8 Jul 2025
Original Parliament recordGREAT: InvestmentCabinet OfficeTabled 1 Jul 2025AnsweredUIN 64200More
Question: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what estimate he has made of the level of UK investment generated by the GREAT campaign since 5 July 2024.
Answer: I refer the hon. member to the PQ 63750. The campaign uses a comprehensive evaluation framework with timeframes for results tailored to each participating organisation's activities. Evaluation results for the GREAT Britain & Northern Ireland Campaign ...
Answered 8 Jul 2025
Original Parliament recordChilterns: ReviewsDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 30 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 63774More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate his Department has made of the potential savings to the public purse from ending the Chilterns National Landscape Boundary Review project.
Answer: Natural England has the statutory responsibility for identifying areas for new or ex-tended National Landscape designations. Defra had provided £1.1 million RDEL a year from 22/23 to 24/25for Natural England to accelerate their National Landscapes pro-gra...
Answered 7 Jul 2025
Original Parliament recordFlood Control: International CooperationDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 30 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 63772More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he has had recent discussions with his international counterparts on best practice in flooding mitigation.
Answer: The Secretary of State and Ministers regularly speak to international partners on a range of topics, including climate change risks and how to mitigate them. The Environment Agency (EA) has worked with international partners such as the Dutch flood agency...
Answered 7 Jul 2025
Original Parliament recordCheetahs: HuntingDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 30 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 63770More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 15 May 2025 to Question 50987 on Cheetahs: Hunting, how species of conservation concern will be determined.
Answer: Species of conservation concern is determined in the criteria set out under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES). CITES lists species in its Appendices according to the level of threat international trade has on their conser...
Answered 8 Jul 2025
Original Parliament recordPeatlands: ConservationDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 30 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 63769More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of peatland recovery on the level of flood risk in Mid Bedfordshire constituency.
Answer: The improvement of peatlands brings multiple benefits for biodiversity, reduction in carbon emissions and also flood-risk management. In the Mid Bedfordshire constituency, Defra is currently funding a Lowland Agricultural Peat Water Discovery Pilot projec...
Answered 7 Jul 2025
Original Parliament recordPeatlands: ConservationDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 30 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 63768More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to help restore peatland in Mid Bedfordshire constituency.
Answer: The Government recognises the importance of England’s peatlands, and in our manifesto, we committed to expanding nature-rich habitats such as wetlands and peat bogs. This will contribute to ensuring nature’s recovery, one of Defra’s five priorities. We ha...
Answered 7 Jul 2025
Original Parliament recordBiodiversity: National LandscapesDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 30 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 63767More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of National Landscape status on biodiversity.
Answer: Natural England has the statutory responsibility for identifying areas for new or extended National Landscape designations. National Landscapes have a statutory purpose to conserve and enhance natural beauty, and biodiversity is a key consideration within...
Answered 7 Jul 2025
Original Parliament recordAviation: Alternative FuelsDepartment for TransportTabled 30 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 63766More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of producing Sustainable Aviation Fuels on (a) UK energy security and (b) carbon emissions.
Answer: Sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) is one of the key ways to decarbonise air travel. We have a comprehensive plan in place for SAF. We have set ambitious targets in the SAF Mandate, are providing grant funding to support investment in a UK SAF industry and a...
Answered 4 Jul 2025
Original Parliament recordAviation: Alternative FuelsDepartment for TransportTabled 30 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 63765More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of using black bin waste in (a) the production of sustainable aviation fuels and (b) the waste-to-energy process.
Answer: Sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) is one of the key ways to decarbonise air travel. We have a comprehensive plan in place for SAF. We have set ambitious targets in the SAF Mandate, are providing grant funding to support investment in a UK SAF industry and a...
Answered 4 Jul 2025
Original Parliament recordAviation: Alternative FuelsDepartment for TransportTabled 30 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 63764More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of the use of sustainable aviation fuels on carbon emissions.
Answer: Sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) is one of the key ways to decarbonise air travel. We have a comprehensive plan in place for SAF. We have set ambitious targets in the SAF Mandate, are providing grant funding to support investment in a UK SAF industry and a...
Answered 4 Jul 2025
Original Parliament recordTechnical Excellence Colleges: ApprenticesDepartment for EducationTabled 30 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 63763More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to her Department's press release entitled Next generation of builders and carers set to rebuild Britain, published on 27 May 2025, whether Technical Excellence Colleges will be able to provide L
Answer: The department is introducing technical excellence colleges (TECs) to specialise in training the skilled workforces which industry needs in priority sectors. This starts with the launch of 10 construction TECs from September 2025. TECs will provide the cr...
Answered 16 Jul 2025
Original Parliament recordApprentices: FinanceDepartment for EducationTabled 30 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 63762More
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 learners aged 22 and above.
Answer: I refer the hon. Member for Mid Bedfordshire to the answer of 13 June 2025 to Question 57098.
Answered 8 Jul 2025
Original Parliament recordSchools: BedfordshireDepartment for EducationTabled 30 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 63758More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to her Department's press release published on 22 May 2025 entitled Teachers to benefit from pay boost, if she will make an estimate of the change in the (a) employers’ National Insurance and (b)
Answer: Schools are receiving £615 million to support them with the costs of the 2025 pay awards, over and above the funding already being provided to schools in financial year 2025/26. The increase in National Insurance Contributions (NICs) costs were considered...
Answered 8 Jul 2025
Original Parliament recordSchools: FinanceDepartment for EducationTabled 30 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 63757More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to her Department's press release published on 22 May 2025 entitled Teachers to benefit from pay boost, what guidance she has issued to schools on steps to make savings through increased producti
Answer: Schools are receiving £615 million to support them with the costs of the 2025 pay awards, over and above the funding already being provided to schools in financial year 2025/26. The increase in National Insurance Contributions (NICs) costs were considered...
Answered 8 Jul 2025
Original Parliament recordSchools: Employers' ContributionsDepartment for EducationTabled 30 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 63756More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to her Department's press release published on 22 May 2025 entitled Teachers to benefit from pay boost, what estimate she has made of the increase in employers’ National Insurance costs for schoo
Answer: Schools are receiving £615 million to support them with the costs of the 2025 pay awards, over and above the funding already being provided to schools in financial year 2025/26. The increase in National Insurance Contributions (NICs) costs were considered...
Answered 8 Jul 2025
Original Parliament recordSchools: FinanceDepartment for EducationTabled 30 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 63754More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to her Department's press release published on 22 May 2025 entitled, Teachers to benefit from pay boost, if she will make an estimate of the cost to schools of funding the first 1% of the pay awa
Answer: Schools are receiving £615 million to support them with the costs of the 2025 pay awards, over and above the funding already being provided to schools in financial year 2025/26. The increase in National Insurance Contributions (NICs) costs were considered...
Answered 8 Jul 2025
Original Parliament recordMilitary Bases: ClosuresMinistry of DefenceTabled 30 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 63753More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 9 June 2025 to Question 55488 on Military Bases: Closures, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of reviewing the site disposal guidelines due to increasing risks to
Answer: Both global and national security risks are already continually assessed as part of the military requirement for sites that shape the disposal position.
Answered 7 Jul 2025
Original Parliament record
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