Every parliamentary written question tabled by Blake Stephenson this session, with the full answer and department. Back to the MP page.
Showing 561–580 of 1,468 · this parliament
Whether she plans to extend the Zero Emission Vehicle mandate to coaches.
The Department ran calls for evidence on the decarbonisation of coaches in spring 2022 and on zero emission HGV and coach infrastructure in autumn 2023. We will provide an update on coach decarbonisation in due course.
If he will make an assessment of the potential impact of reducing funding for Level 7 Apprenticeships on the NHS and Social Care workforce plan.
While funding arrangements for Level 7 apprenticeships are changing, we recognise the important role apprenticeships play in the training and development of the NHS and social care workforce. This Government is committed to developing homegrown talent and ensuring the NHS has the right people in the right places, with the right skills to deliver the best care for patients, when they need it. That is why the Department of Health and Social Care will be funding ongoing provision of Level 7 apprenticeships in five professions. This will support the delivery of our 10-Year Health Plan and help to ensure staff in health and social care have access to development opportunities.
If he will make an assessment of the potential merits of utilising chiropractors to reduce NHS waiting lists.
As set out in the Plan for Change, we have committed to return to the NHS constitutional standard that 92% of patients, including those waiting for musculoskeletal treatment, wait no longer than 18 weeks from referral to treatment by March 2029.The Elective Reform Plan, published in January 2025, set out the productivity and reform efforts we will undertake to return to the 18-week standard, and ensure patients have the best possible experience while they wait.NHS England does not nationally commission chiropractic care as it is a complementary and alternative medicine. Independent care boards are able to make independent decisions on which health professionals they employ and may commission a limited amount of such treatment.There are currently no plans to review the categorisation of chiropractic care as a complementary and alternative medicine. Where musculoskeletal treatment is required, referrals will be made to physiotherapists where appropriate.
With reference to the press release entitled World-first AI system to warn of NHS patient safety concerns of 30 June 2025, whether this will (a) augment and (b) replace human oversight.
The 10-Year Health Plan will bring our analogue health service into the digital age. It will make artificial intelligence (AI) every nurse’s and doctor’s trusted assistant, saving them time and supporting them in decision making.The Plan also focuses on supporting hospitals to prioritise safe deployment of AI and harness new technology to bring the very best of cutting-edge care to all patients, whilst ensuring data is used safely, ethically, and securely.AI technologies are not designed to replace our NHS and care staff. Instead, they will augment human expertise by supporting healthcare staff with routine administrative tasks and clinical decision making. This will save staff time and allow them to spend more time with patients. AI tools are to be used to support NHS staff, and their findings will be reviewed before decisions are made. Over the next three years, we will overhaul education and training curricula to future-proof the NHS workforce. We will make sure that NHS staff know how to work with AI and ensure that AI tools do not replace human oversight and expertise.
With reference to the press release Full steam ahead: young people take the drivers seat to improve train services and unlock jobs of 7 May 2025, if she will publish an evaluation of the impact of this policy within a year of implementation.
The rail industry will be responsible for implementing the policy of lowering the minimum age requirement to be a train driver from 20 to 18, which will be enacted through changes to the Train Driving Licences and Certificates Regulations 2010. To ensure that this is done safely and responsibly, we have asked the rail industry to prepare an implementation plan, which will be kept under regular review. The regulations will be reviewed every five years, in line with usual government practice.
With reference to the National Audit Office's report entitled Lessons learned: Governance and decision‑making on mega‑projects, published on 12 March 2025, whether her Department plans to implement the recommendations on clarity on the roles and responsibilities of those involved.
The Department for Transport has an established rolling programme to continuously improve project delivery, drawing on lessons learned from its own portfolio and external reviews, including those published by the NAO. Our project delivery governance and assurance frameworks are aligned to best practice recommended by NISTA and the Government project delivery standards. DfT remains committed to continuous improvement and we are currently reviewing priorities for future improvements using recent learning from the NAO and other publications such as the James Stewart Review.
If she will make an estimate of the number of visa holders who have left the UK prior to the expiry of their visa in each of the last five years.
The government has launched a direct messaging campaign to remind students their visas are expiring. The first-of-its-kind communication comes during the autumn period where asylum applications typically spike and is part of continued Home Office measures to improve visa compliance.Nearly 10,000 students and dependants received the guidance, with thousands more expected to receive it over the coming weeks as their visa expiry dates approach. It warns that claims without merit will be swiftly and robustly refused, and those without a legal right to remain in the UK must leave or face removal.Information on completeness of exit checks data are found within the statistical reports and the ‘Home Office statistics on exit checks: user guide’. The most recent developments are found in the ‘Developments in Exit Checks’.The Home Office does not compile statistics on the number of people who overstay their visa. The Home Office has previously published statistics on the number of visa holders who have left the UK prior to expiry of their visa in the Reports on statistics relating to exit checks. This release covers the period from the year ending March 2017 to the year ending March 2020.
If she will make an estimate of the number of Student Visa holders who have overstayed their visa in each of the last five years.
The government has launched a direct messaging campaign to remind students their visas are expiring. The first-of-its-kind communication comes during the autumn period where asylum applications typically spike and is part of continued Home Office measures to improve visa compliance.Nearly 10,000 students and dependants received the guidance, with thousands more expected to receive it over the coming weeks as their visa expiry dates approach. It warns that claims without merit will be swiftly and robustly refused, and those without a legal right to remain in the UK must leave or face removal.Information on completeness of exit checks data are found within the statistical reports and the ‘Home Office statistics on exit checks: user guide’. The most recent developments are found in the ‘Developments in Exit Checks’.The Home Office does not compile statistics on the number of people who overstay their visa. The Home Office has previously published statistics on the number of visa holders who have left the UK prior to expiry of their visa in the Reports on statistics relating to exit checks. This release covers the period from the year ending March 2017 to the year ending March 2020.
Whether he has had discussions with the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government on the proposed re-organisation of ICBs in the East of England.
The Department of Health and Social Care and the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, alongside NHS England, continue to work closely on any proposals to reorganise integrated care boards (ICBs). I and my hon. Friend, the Minister of State for Local Government and English Devolution, have discussed the reorganisation of ICBs and alignment with strategic authorities, including those in the East of England, in the context of English devolution.
Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the beer and pub sector on the UK’s soft power.
The UK has consistently ranked within the top three countries in indices that measure soft power. The UK pub and beer industry are key assets for the UK economy and society and contribute to our soft power. The pub is also a key tourism destination for many visiting the UK, with over 45,000 pubs in the UK. Beer and pubs contribute £34.3 billion to the UK economy and we export over 1 billion pints of beer to over 100 different countries annually. The Soft Power Council, launched by the Foreign Secretary and the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport in January, which brings together some of the most influential figures across soft power and foreign policy, are steering and advising the Government on better harnessing our world class sectors.
When the new specialist gender centre for children and young people in the East of England will open.
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 the North West, London, and the South West that offer a fundamentally different clinical model, embedding multi-disciplinary teams in specialist children’s hospitals.
If his Department has made an assessment on the potential impact of the planned re-organisation of the Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes ICB with Hertfordshire and Cambridgeshire and Peterborough on the provision of GP services in rural communities.
As part of cluster preparation arrangements, every integrated care board (ICB) will complete an Equality Impact Assessment, which will consider the footprint population and the impact of the changes to ICB working arrangements.ICBs have a crucial role as strategic commissioners of local healthcare services. This includes the commissioning of GP services. In Schedule 3, Part 1 of the NHS Health and Care Act 2022, duty 82B (1) states that each integrated care board must exercise its powers so as to secure the provision of primary medical services to such extent as it considers necessary to meet the reasonable requirements of the persons for whom it has responsibility.The planned reorganisation of Bedfordshire, Luton, Milton Keynes, Hertfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Peterborough ICB will not remove the statutory responsibility for ICBs to commission GP services for all of its residents, including those from small and rural communities.
Whether he has had discussions with the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government on the proposed re-organisation of ICBs, in the context of English Devolution.
The Department of Health and Social Care and the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, alongside NHS England, continue to work closely on any proposals to reorganise integrated care boards (ICBs). I and my hon. Friend, the Minister of State for Local Government and English Devolution, have discussed the reorganisation of ICBs and alignment with strategic authorities, including those in the East of England, in the context of English devolution.
Whether NHS England consulted the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government before proposing to merge Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes ICB with Hertfordshire and Cambridgeshire and Peterborough.
The Department of Health and Social Care and the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, alongside NHS England, continue to work closely on any proposals to reorganise integrated care boards (ICBs). I and my hon. Friend, the Minister of State for Local Government and English Devolution, have discussed the reorganisation of ICBs and alignment with strategic authorities, including those in the East of England, in the context of English devolution.
With reference to the press release entitled UK partnership brings new 250-bed Islamabad hospital closer to opening of 24 June 2025, if he will make an estimate of the net impact on the public purse.
While the specific contract value is commercially sensitive, all income generated supports NHS initiatives and trust improvements. Income generated through this International Affiliate Programme is reinvested into the Trust, supporting a range of initiatives aimed at enhancing both NHS and private healthcare services. By leveraging international partnerships such as this one, the Trust not only strengthens its global reputation and reach but also yields domestic and international healthcare benefits.
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.
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, training was provided to general practices in Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes to increase the confidence of practices in enhancing dignity and respect for this group of patients.NHS England has also increased the number of gender services available, across England, for both children and young people and adults. A Children and Young People’s specialised gender service is anticipated to open in the East of England later in the year. In April 2025, my rt. Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, commissioned NHS England to undertake an LGBT+ health evidence review to better understand LGBT+ healthcare needs and provide advice on future actions to address health inequalities amongst LGBT+ people including those who identify as trans and non-binary. The review was launched in June 2025 and will run for six months. The Care Quality Commission (CQC) is the independent regulator in England with oversight of providers of health and adult social care. It holds services providers to account for safety and dignity for all patients and service users. The standards are enshrined in CQC regulations, having due regard to protected characteristics defined in the Equality Act 2010. Failure to comply with CQC standards can result is enforcement action.
What steps his Department has taken to prepare for resident doctor strikes since July 2024.
The National Health Service makes every effort through rigorous contingency planning to minimise disruption as a result of industrial action and its impact on patients and the public.Resident doctors in England went on strike for five days from Friday 25 July to Wednesday 30 July 2025. To prepare, NHS England analysed previous strike data to assess financial, operational, and patient impacts.In response to this assessment, NHS England worked hard to ensure that resources were prioritised to protect all patients using its services during the period of strike action, in particular emergency treatment, critical care, neonatal care, maternity, and trauma, and to ensure we prioritised patients who have waited the longest for elective care and cancer surgery.NHS England will continue to iterate its approach based on the most recent industrial action to ensure the NHS continues to deliver for patients.
If he will make an assessment of the potential impact of resident doctor strikes on NHS waiting lists.
Industrial action has a significant direct and indirect impact on elective performance and NHS waiting lists.Within the period of industrial action from December 2022 up to February 2024, 430,000 completed pathways (where a patient starts consultant-led treatment and is removed from the waiting list) are estimated to have been deferred as a result of industrial action.In summer 2024, this Government’s rapid resolution of industrial action allowed the NHS to exceed its pledge to deliver 2 million extra operations, scans and appointments, having delivered an additional 4.9 million appointments from July 2024 to June 2025.Unfortunately, in July 2025 we have seen further industrial action from Resident Doctors. As a result of tireless collaborative work, and valuable learning from previous industrial action, the NHS managed to remain resilient against strike action and minimised the impact on patients and the public.NHS England published estimates that the NHS maintained improved levels of inpatient and outpatient activity at 93% of normal activity levels, which is available at the following link: Early-assessment-of-the-July-2025-Resident-Doctors-IA-on-elective-activity-for-NHS-Acute-Providers-Final_7viii25.xlsx.
Whether her Department requires sponsoring employers to notify them when an employee whose visa they are sponsoring leaves their employment.
Sponsors are required to report to the Home Office when they stop sponsoring a worker for any reason, including where the worker resigns, is dismissed or is made redundant.A sponsor’s reporting duties are set out in the Workers and Temporary Workers: guidance for sponsors part 3: sponsor duties and compliance which is published on the gov.uk website.
How many inspections of Home Office approved visa-sponsoring employers have been made since July 2024.
The information requested is not currently available from published statistics, and the relevant data could only be collated and verified for the purpose of answering this question at disproportionate cost.