Blake Stephenson MP: written questions
1633 published records · newest first.
Written questions
SewersDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 26 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 13645More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether she will make it her policy to bring Schedule 3 of the Flood and Water Management Act 2010 into force.
Answer: The Government is strongly committed to improving the implementation of Sustainable Drainage Systems (SuDS). We have consulted on a revised version of the National Planning Policy Framework, with new policies on local plans and national decision making, i...
Answered 2 Jul 2026
Original Parliament recordLGBT Financial Recognition Scheme: PublicityMinistry of DefenceTabled 24 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 12902More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he is taking to raise awareness of the LGBT Financial Recognition Scheme outside of veterans networks.
Answer: The Government continues to take a proactive approach to ensure all those affected by the Ban are made aware of the LGBT Financial Recognition Scheme, including those who may not be engaged with established veteran networks or digital communication channe...
Answered 29 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordLegal Profession: USAHome OfficeTabled 24 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 12901More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she has made an assessment of the potential implications for her policies of the decision to remove remote testing for the LSAT by the US Government.
Answer: The LSAT is an admissions test administered by the Law School Admission Council (LSAC), an independent US organisation. Decisions relating to the format and delivery of the LSAT, including any changes to remote testing, are a matter for LSAC and the relev...
Answered 3 Jul 2026
Original Parliament recordLocal PlansMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 24 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 12900More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether the Government intends for a) nationally-set housing targets or b) housing targets set out in Local Plans to be used for the calculation of five year land supply in circu
Answer: Housing requirement figures identified in Local Plan policies should be used for calculating the 5-year housing land supply figure (5YHLS) where: the plan was adopted in the last 5 years, or has been reviewed within the last 5 years and found not to requi...
Answered 20 Jul 2026
Original Parliament recordHousing: Water SupplyMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 24 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 12899More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of a) water and b) sewage capacity in areas with high housing targets.
Answer: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 6660 answered by the Minister for Water and Flooding on 10 June 2026.
Answered 20 Jul 2026
Original Parliament recordCouncil Tax: SurchargesMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 24 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 12898More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to the answer to Written Question 102069 tabled on 2 January 2026 on Council Tax: Valuation, when he plans to consult on the High Value Council Tax Surcharge.
Answer: The government’s consultation on the High Value Council Tax Surcharge was published on 19 May. This is available here. The consultation is open until 14 July.
Answered 30 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordVisas: Skilled WorkersDepartment for Business and TradeTabled 24 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 12897More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what alternative options he considered to the subsidisation of fees for certain high skilled visa applications.
Answer: As part of the UK’s Modern Industrial Strategy, the Department for Business and Trade launched the ‘Visa Fees Reimbursement Scheme for Scale-Ups’ on 10 June. This targeted grant scheme - worth up to £25K for around 50 businesses a year - will help UK scal...
Answered 3 Jul 2026
Original Parliament recordVisas: Skilled WorkersDepartment for Business and TradeTabled 24 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 12896More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if he will make an estimate of the cost to the public purse of the subsidisation of visa fees for certain high skilled visa applications.
Answer: As part of the UK’s Modern Industrial Strategy, the Department for Business and Trade launched the ‘Visa Fees Reimbursement Scheme for Scale-Ups’ on 10 June. This targeted grant scheme - worth up to £25K for around 50 businesses a year - will help UK scal...
Answered 3 Jul 2026
Original Parliament recordThameslink Line: CroydonDepartment for TransportTabled 24 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 12895More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she is taking to help tackle the Croydon bottleneck on Thameslink and Southern services.
Answer: The previous government took the decision to cancel the Croydon Area Remodelling Scheme, which was focussed on tackling the Croydon bottleneck. My department is working with Network Rail and operators to improve the performance of Southern and Thameslink ...
Answered 3 Jul 2026
Original Parliament recordRailway Stations: StewartbyDepartment for TransportTabled 24 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 12894More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether a new station at Stewartby will be built prior to 2031.
Answer: As set out in its latest public consultation, the East West Rail Company will deliver a new, fully accessible station at Stewartby by the early 2030s. Further details on the station’s opening and the introduction of services will be provided in due course...
Answered 3 Jul 2026
Original Parliament recordFlitwick Station and Harlington Station: AccessDepartment for TransportTabled 24 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 12893More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will provide capital funding to deliver Access for All schemes at a) Flitwick and b) Harlington.
Answer: The Flitwick station Access for All project is currently in the design stage. A delivery timetable, including a completion date, will be confirmed once the design has been finalised. The previous Government chose not to shortlist Harlington station for ac...
Answered 2 Jul 2026
Original Parliament recordBritish Nationality: AssessmentsHome OfficeTabled 24 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 12892More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, for what reason her Department does not allow remote testing for the Life in the UK test.
Answer: Remote testing was not explored as part of the current contract and therefore not available to current candidates. The upcoming commercial exercise to reprocure services for the Life in the UK test will explore alternative delivery models. We are currentl...
Answered 3 Jul 2026
Original Parliament recordEast of England Ambulance Service NHS Trust: DismissalDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 20 May 2026AnsweredUIN 3613More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to Question 222781 answered on 21 February 2019, how much money has been spent to date by the East of England Ambulance Service NHS Trust on legal fees, including any settlement agre
Answer: National Health Service trusts are separate legal entities and are responsible for managing their own employment matters in accordance with employment law. The Department does not hold centrally a detailed breakdown of legal fees or settlement payments in...
Answered 4 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordEast of England Ambulance Service NHS Trust: Legal CostsDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 14 Apr 2026AnsweredUIN 127274More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how much has been spent by East of England Ambulance Service NHS Trust on (a) legal fees and (b) other costs associated with terminating the employment of David Perrin and defending legal action br
Answer: National Health Service trusts are separate legal entities and handle their own employment matters in accordance with employment law and regulatory requirements. The Department does not centrally hold information on legal fees or other costs incurred by i...
Answered 20 Apr 2026
Original Parliament recordEnglish Language: AssessmentsHome OfficeTabled 13 Apr 2026AnsweredUIN 126844More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what discussions her Department has had with Duolingo on the introduction of the Home Office English Language Test.
Answer: Prior to the Home Office English Language Testing programme publishing invitation to tender, five rounds of market engagement was conducted under non-disclosure agreements. However, there were opportunities for those who participated to share information ...
Answered 20 Apr 2026
Original Parliament recordEnglish Language: AssessmentsHome OfficeTabled 13 Apr 2026AnsweredUIN 126843More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what engagement her department has had with the Minister for Investment regarding the introduction of the Home Office English Language Test.
Answer: The Home Office English Language Testing programme has engaged with impacted government departments and will continue this engagement throughout the life of the procurement though mobilisation. As with any government procurement, all commercial activity i...
Answered 20 Apr 2026
Original Parliament recordEnglish Language: AssessmentsHome OfficeTabled 13 Apr 2026AnsweredUIN 126842More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what engagement her Department has had with Ofqual regarding the introduction of the Home Office English Language Test.
Answer: The Home Office English Language Testing Programme remains in live procurement. We anticipate that the successful bidder will hold, or secure, Ofqual recognition. They must then continue to meet the rigorous bar required to comply with Ofqual's regulatory...
Answered 20 Apr 2026
Original Parliament recordEnglish Language: AssessmentsHome OfficeTabled 13 Apr 2026AnsweredUIN 126841More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what engagement her Department has had with the Secretary of State for Education on the introduction of the Home Office English Language Test.
Answer: The Home Office English Language Testing programme has engaged with impacted government departments and will continue this engagement throughout the life of the procurement though mobilisation. As with any government procurement, all commercial activity i...
Answered 21 Apr 2026
Original Parliament recordEnglish Language: AssessmentsHome OfficeTabled 13 Apr 2026AnsweredUIN 126840More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to Parliamentary Question 104261 answered on 16 January 2026, whether the ‘net positive benefit to the public purse’ of the new Home Office English Language Test will be used to support manag
Answer: The financial benefits arising from the HOELT are expected to accrue to UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) budgets within the Home Office. Under the current concession model, test fees are retained by approved providers. The new model changes that financial ...
Answered 20 Apr 2026
Original Parliament recordEnglish Language: AssessmentsHome OfficeTabled 13 Apr 2026AnsweredUIN 126839More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to Parliamentary Question 104261 answered on 16 January 2026, if the lower cost of the Home Office English Language Test will be passed on to test takers.
Answer: The fee structure for the Home Office English Language Test has not yet been set, as the procurement process is ongoing. The Department is committed to ensuring the test is accessible to those required to take it. The final fee to test takers will be dete...
Answered 20 Apr 2026
Original Parliament recordEnglish Language: AssessmentsHome OfficeTabled 13 Apr 2026AnsweredUIN 126838More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to Parliamentary Question 104261 answered on 16 January 2026, to which budgets the ‘net positive benefit to the public purse’ of the new Home Office English Language Test will be attributed t
Answer: As set out in the answer of 16 January 2026, today's Secure English Language Testing concessions collect all applicants' fees with no return to the Department to cover the costs of managing and overseeing delivery. The new Home Office English Language Tes...
Answered 20 Apr 2026
Original Parliament recordEnglish Language: AssessmentsHome OfficeTabled 13 Apr 2026AnsweredUIN 126837More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 16 January 2026 to Question 104261 on English Language: Assessments, what estimate she has made of the net positive benefit to the public purse of the Home Office English Lan
Answer: Pursuant to answer of 16 January 2026 to UIN 104261As set out in the answer of 16 January 2026, today's Secure English Language Testing concessions collect all applicants' fees with no return to the Department to cover the costs of managing and overseeing...
Answered 16 Apr 2026
Original Parliament recordEnglish Language: AssessmentsHome OfficeTabled 13 Apr 2026AnsweredUIN 126836More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 16 January 2026 to question 104256 on Visas: English Language, which other countries' systems have been considered in development of the Home Office English Language Test.
Answer: As set out in the answer of 16 January 2026, the Home Office English Language Test will be one of the first primarily remote language testing services for government immigration purposes. In developing this approach, the Department considered a range of i...
Answered 20 Apr 2026
Original Parliament recordEnglish Language: AssessmentsHome OfficeTabled 13 Apr 2026AnsweredUIN 126835More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what contingency arrangements she plans to put in place to ensure secure provision of the Home Office English Language Test in the event of technical exploits subverting digital security measures in r
Answer: The Home Office is designing the HOELT procurement to ensure resilience in test delivery. The specification includes requirements for contingency arrangements in the event that technical vulnerabilities are identified or exploited. The Department expects ...
Answered 16 Apr 2026
Original Parliament recordEnglish Language: AssessmentsHome OfficeTabled 13 Apr 2026AnsweredUIN 126834More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what comparative assessment she has made of the (a) security of in-person supervision and (b) best-in-class digital security measures in the Home Office English Language Test.
Answer: The Home Office has considered the relative strengths of in-person supervision and digital security measures as part of its work to develop the HOELT. The Department acknowledges that both delivery models have strengths and limitations. In-person supervis...
Answered 16 Apr 2026
Original Parliament record
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