Blake Stephenson MP: written questions
665 published records · newest first.
Written questions
New Towns: TempsfordMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 2 Jan 2026AnsweredUIN 102001More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if he will estimate the proportion of the Tempsford New Town that will be in Central Bedfordshire Council.
Answer: I refer the hon. Member to the independent New Towns Taskforce final report as well as the government’s initial response to it. Both can be found on gov.uk here.
Answered 12 Jan 2026
Original Parliament recordNew Towns: Milton KeynesMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 2 Jan 2026AnsweredUIN 102000More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether the Milton Keynes New Town recommended by the New Towns Taskforce will include any areas in Central Bedfordshire Council.
Answer: I refer the hon. Member to the independent New Towns Taskforce final report as well as the government’s initial response to it. Both can be found on gov.uk here.
Answered 12 Jan 2026
Original Parliament recordNew TownsMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 2 Jan 2026AnsweredUIN 101999More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if he will discuss with the Chair of the New Towns Taskforce the potential merits of the publishing the sites that it considered but did not recommend for new towns.
Answer: I refer the hon. Member to the independent New Towns Taskforce final report as well as the government’s initial response to it. Both can be found on gov.uk here.
Answered 12 Jan 2026
Original Parliament recordNew Towns TaskforceMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 2 Jan 2026AnsweredUIN 101998More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to his Answer of 10 July 2025 to Question 64580 on New Towns Taskforce, whether he has had discussions with the Chair of the independent New Towns Taskforce on the reaso
Answer: I refer the hon. Member to the independent New Towns Taskforce final report as well as the government’s initial response to it. Both can be found on gov.uk here.
Answered 12 Jan 2026
Original Parliament recordMayors: BedfordshireMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 2 Jan 2026AnsweredUIN 101997More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if he will set out the timeline for establishing a Mayoral Strategic Authority in Bedfordshire.
Answer: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 97367 on 11 December 2025. Decisions on future devolution areas beyond those in the Devolution Priority Programme, including Bedfordshire, have not yet been taken, but the Department will continu...
Answered 12 Jan 2026
Original Parliament recordMigrant Workers: ExploitationHome OfficeTabled 2 Jan 2026AnsweredUIN 101996More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many cases of (a) suspected and (b) confirmed exploitation involving holders of work-related visas have been recorded since 4 July 2024 by (i) visa route and (ii) month.
Answer: The Home Office publishes data on Visa Sponsors that are B rated in the ‘Register of licensed sponsors: workers - GOV.UK’.Please note - published data shows the number of licensed sponsors over time but does not include the number of visas associated with...
Answered 12 Jan 2026
Original Parliament recordVisas: SponsorshipHome OfficeTabled 2 Jan 2026AnsweredUIN 101995More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many civil penalties have been issued to employers sponsoring workers under work-related visa routes since 4 July 2024 by a) visa route and b) sector.
Answer: Information on illegal working civil penalty statistics has been published since 2016 as part of the Home Office Immigration Transparency Data. This can be found at immigration-enforcement-data-jul-sep-2025 on tab CP02.To identify specific employers spons...
Answered 12 Jan 2026
Original Parliament recordVisas: SponsorshipHome OfficeTabled 2 Jan 2026AnsweredUIN 101994More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many visa sponsors have been a) suspended, b) revoked and c) issued with a warning since 4 July 2024 by i) visa route and ii) month.
Answer: The Home Office does not publish data linking visa holder returns to licence revocations. However, general returns data is available and has been referenced instead.The Home Office publishes returns data from the UK in the ‘Immigration system statistics d...
Answered 12 Jan 2026
Original Parliament recordVisas: SponsorshipHome OfficeTabled 2 Jan 2026AnsweredUIN 101993More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what proportion of organisations on the register of licensed sponsors have sponsored visas a) in the last 10 years and b) since 4 July 2024.
Answer: The Home Office publishes data on Visa Sponsors that are B rated in the ‘Register of licensed sponsors: workers - GOV.UK’.Please note - published data shows the number of licensed sponsors over time but does not include the number of visas associated with...
Answered 12 Jan 2026
Original Parliament recordVisas: SponsorshipHome OfficeTabled 2 Jan 2026AnsweredUIN 101992More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many visa-sponsoring organisations are B-rated; and how many visas those organisations sponsored as of October 2025.
Answer: The Home Office publishes data on Visa Sponsors that are B rated in the ‘Register of licensed sponsors: workers - GOV.UK’.Please note - published data shows the number of licensed sponsors over time but does not include the number of visas associated with...
Answered 12 Jan 2026
Original Parliament recordUndocumented Workers: Employees' ContributionsHome OfficeTabled 2 Jan 2026AnsweredUIN 101991More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many immigrants found to have been working illegally since 2020 have been making National Insurance payments.
Answer: The Home Office does not hold the data you have requested.The Home Office takes the issue of illegal working seriously and continues to take robust enforcement action against those who breach immigration laws.
Answered 12 Jan 2026
Original Parliament recordVisas: Ministers of ReligionHome OfficeTabled 2 Jan 2026AnsweredUIN 101990More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make an estimate of the average number of dependent visas sponsored by Minister of Religion visa holders.
Answer: The Home Office publishes data on dependants sponsored by holders of Minister of Religion visas in the ‘Immigration system statistics data tables - GOV.UK’.Data on dependants sponsored by holders of Minister of Religion visas is published in table Data_Vi...
Answered 12 Jan 2026
Original Parliament recordVisas: SponsorshipHome OfficeTabled 2 Jan 2026AnsweredUIN 101989More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the press release entitled Record numbers of visa sponsor licences revoked for rule breaking, published on 11 September 2025, how many of those license revocations resulted in visa h
Answer: The Home Office does not publish data linking visa holder returns to licence revocations. However, general returns data is available and has been referenced instead.The Home Office publishes returns data from the UK in the ‘Immigration system statistics d...
Answered 12 Jan 2026
Original Parliament recordVisas: Divorced PeopleHome OfficeTabled 2 Jan 2026AnsweredUIN 101988More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department monitors divorce filings to check visa compliance for family visa holders.
Answer: Family migration must be based on a genuine and subsisting relationships. The current probationary period before a spouse or partner can apply for settlement is a minimum of 5 years and requires more than one grant of permission to enter or stay to test w...
Answered 12 Jan 2026
Original Parliament recordNeighbourhood Health CentresDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 2 Jan 2026AnsweredUIN 101987More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the locations are of the NHS Neighbourhood Health Centres announced at the Autumn Budget 2025.
Answer: At the Autumn Budget, we announced our commitment to deliver 250 neighbourhood health centres (NHCs) through the NHS Neighbourhood Rebuild Programme. This will deliver NHCs through a mixture of refurbishments, to expand and improve sites over the next thr...
Answered 23 Jan 2026
Original Parliament recordNHS: ApprenticesDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 2 Jan 2026AnsweredUIN 101986More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the answer of 19 November 2025 to written question 89790, how much the annual cap is.
Answer: Funding for the eligible apprenticeships has been capped in line with 2023/24 start numbers, which is equivalent to £8.4 million per financial year for new apprenticeship starts. Funding will be allocated according to workforce need, training provider cap...
Answered 13 Feb 2026
Original Parliament recordGenomics: Data ProtectionDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 2 Jan 2026AnsweredUIN 101985More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the answer of 6 November 2025 to written question 79826, what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Defence on the national security implications of the creation of a l
Answer: Data is the driving force of modern economies and technology and is strategically important nationally and globally. However, we know this data can be exploited by those seeking to counter United Kingdom interests and we are taking action to secure our da...
Answered 12 Jan 2026
Original Parliament recordHospices: FinanceDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 2 Jan 2026AnsweredUIN 101984More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has considered fully funding specialist palliative care, advice and assessment provided by hospices.
Answer: Integrated care boards (ICBs) are responsible for commissioning palliative care services to meet the reasonable needs of their population, which can include hospice services available within the ICB catchment. To support ICBs in this duty, NHS England has...
Answered 13 Jan 2026
Original Parliament recordPalliative Care: EqualityDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 2 Jan 2026AnsweredUIN 101983More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to ensure national accountability for equitable provision of palliative care across England.
Answer: Integrated care boards (ICBs) are responsible for commissioning palliative care services to meet the reasonable needs of their population, which can include hospice services available within the ICB catchment. To support ICBs in this duty, NHS England has...
Answered 13 Jan 2026
Original Parliament recordBlood Tests: General PractitionersDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 2 Jan 2026AnsweredUIN 101982More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an estimate of the proportion of routine blood tests in England administered in a GP surgery.
Answer: The Department does not hold data regarding the proportion of routine blood tests administered in England in a general practice.Local enhanced services, such as blood tests, are negotiated and agreed locally, and are commissioned by integrated care boards...
Answered 23 Jan 2026
Original Parliament recordNHS: SoftwareDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 2 Jan 2026AnsweredUIN 101981More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the answer of 24 October 2025 to Written Question 75761, what criteria he uses to determine cost-effectiveness.
Answer: The criteria used to determine the cost-effectiveness of offering services in the NHS App is yet to be finalised, as scoping is at an early stage and will take place alongside the business planning process for the Spending Review period.
Answered 12 Jan 2026
Original Parliament recordNeighbourhood Health Centres: CostsDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 2 Jan 2026AnsweredUIN 101980More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the answer of 16 October 2025 to written question 79819, what estimate he has made of the cost of establishing a new Neighbourhood Health Centre.
Answer: At the Autumn Budget, we announced our commitment to deliver 250 neighbourhood health centres (NHCs) through the NHS Neighbourhood Rebuild Programme. This will deliver NHCs through a mixture of refurbishments, to expand and improve sites over the next thr...
Answered 23 Jan 2026
Original Parliament recordNeighbourhood Health CentresDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 2 Jan 2026AnsweredUIN 101979More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the answer of 16 October 2025 to written question 79819, how many Neighbourhood Health Centres each ICB will be able to allocate.
Answer: At the Autumn Budget, we announced our commitment to deliver 250 neighbourhood health centres (NHCs) through the NHS Neighbourhood Rebuild Programme. This will deliver NHCs through a mixture of refurbishments, to expand and improve sites over the next thr...
Answered 23 Jan 2026
Original Parliament recordHealth Professions: RecruitmentDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 2 Jan 2026AnsweredUIN 101978More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the answer of 16 October 2025 to written question 79814, if he will publish minimum service expectations for rural communities.
Answer: As noted in the answer of 16 October 2025 to Question 79814, we expect neighbourhood teams and services to be designed in a way that reflects the specific needs of local populations. We will share further guidance to support systems, including those in ru...
Answered 20 Jan 2026
Original Parliament recordGeneral Practitioners: BedfordshireDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 2 Jan 2026AnsweredUIN 101977More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the press release entitled Patients in poorer areas to get better access to GPs, published on 9 October 2025, how funding will change in Bedfordshire.
Answer: It is vital that funding for core primary medical services is distributed equitably between general practices (GPs) across the country so that resources are targeted where they are most needed. In October 2025 we launched a review of the GP funding formul...
Answered 3 Feb 2026
Original Parliament record
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