Asked by: Blake Stephenson (Conservative - Mid Bedfordshire)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to page 12 of the policy paper entitled 10 Year Health Plan for England: fit for the future, published on 3 July 2025, how long individualised genomic data for newborns will be retained.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The 10-Year Health Plan set out an ambition to offer newborn genomic testing as part of routine care within the next decade. Delivering against this ambition will be subject to evidence gathered through the Generation Study. This research programme is evaluating the effectiveness of using whole genome sequencing to test 100,000 newborns for more than 200 rare genetic conditions.
With parental consent, data is stored securely in the existing National Genomic Research Library which, with patient consent, already stores genomic data from the NHS Genomic Medicine Service to support ethical research. The study is exploring the risks and benefits of storing an individual's genome over their lifetime. Therefore, genomic data will be stored throughout the child’s life, unless consent is withdrawn. Consent is an ongoing process, and parents can withdraw their child at any time before the age of 16 years old, when the child will be asked to re-consent. The study will deliver an evaluation report which will inform future policy decisions around the storage of personal, including genomic, data.
Asked by: Blake Stephenson (Conservative - Mid Bedfordshire)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the press release entitled Landmark plan to rebuild NHS in working-class communities of 25 June 2025, what definition his Department plans to use for working-class communities.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The 10-Year Health Plan has set out a long-term vision to reform the National Health Service and make it fit for the future. Addressing healthcare inequity is a core focus of the 10-Year Health Plan, to ensure the NHS is there for anyone who needs it whenever they need it.
The 10-Year Health Plan refers both to “working class jobs” and “working class communities”, as do other more recent publications. These terms are used in the standard way they are used in English to indicate people who are employed for wages and generally experience greater job insecurity, lower benefits, and less financial security than others in society.
Asked by: Blake Stephenson (Conservative - Mid Bedfordshire)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 5 June 2025 to Question 54102 on Schools: Flood Control, whether her Department has had discussions with Kimberley College in Stewartby on flood protections.
Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
To date no correspondence has been received from the college on this matter, therefore my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education can confirm the department’s Schools Water Strategy has not held discussions with Kimberley College on flood protections.
The department has invested in measures to reduce risk to flooding at over 600 schools to the end of 2024/25 and through the Schools Water Strategy, we continue to invest in flood prevention in schools at risk of flooding in line with our published Sustainability and Climate Change strategy.
Asked by: Blake Stephenson (Conservative - Mid Bedfordshire)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to p.81 of the 10 Year Health Plan, published on 3 July 2025, what steps he is taking to ensure the accuracy of triage using AI on the NHS App for each patient.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
We are currently developing our plans in response to the 10-Year Health Plan commitments to support artificial intelligence (AI) assisted triage. We will do so following stringent clinical safety standards as outlined in the NHS Service Standard, as well as rigorous evaluations of health outcomes and operational impact.
When developed, AI triage within the NHS App will use artificial intelligence to assess symptoms and guide patients to the most appropriate care, whether it's self-care, booking an appointment, or seeking other help.
The NHS operates within a comprehensive regulatory framework for AI, underpinned by rigorous standards established by bodies including the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, Health Research Authority, and Care Quality Commission. These agencies ensure that AI technologies are deployed safely and effectively within healthcare settings. Additionally, continuous monitoring after deployment is essential to ensure long-term safety of AI solutions, so we are working closely with regulators to identify new measures for mitigating risk and providing assurance. We are also leading on shaping a regulatory landscape that ensures AI technologies are safe, transparent and work for everyone.
Asked by: Blake Stephenson (Conservative - Mid Bedfordshire)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how often her Department checks that UK visa holders are living at the address provided.
Answered by Mike Tapp - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
Home Office decision makers can make enquiries as part of the visa consideration process to confirm that a person is intending to stay at the address provided in their application. Customers are encouraged to update their personal details, including their home and postal address, in their UKVI account. There is no routine check to confirm whether UK visa holders are living at the address previously provided.
Asked by: Blake Stephenson (Conservative - Mid Bedfordshire)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people have been granted Indefinite Leave to Remain subsequent to having been convicted of an offence in the UK since 4 July 2024.
Answered by Mike Tapp - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
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.
Asked by: Blake Stephenson (Conservative - Mid Bedfordshire)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the press release entitled Patients and pupils to benefit from school and hospital repairs, published on 30 May 2025, whether any schools in Bedfordshire will be included.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
This government has increased investment for improving school buildings to £2.1 billion for the 2025/26 financial year, almost £300 million more than last year. As part of that, close to £470 million has been made available to eligible schools and sixth-form colleges through the Condition Improvement Fund (CIF).
The department has published details of successful projects and applicants to the CIF for the 2025/26 financial year, including the local authority, and constituency. We can confirm that 11 schools in the county of Bedfordshire were successful.
Asked by: Blake Stephenson (Conservative - Mid Bedfordshire)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make an assessment of the reasons for changes to the number of private school pupils between the 2024-25 and 2025-26 academic year.
Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
The latest school census data, as at January 2025, reveals pupil numbers remain firmly within historical patterns seen for over 20 years. This information can be accessed at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/school-pupils-and-their-characteristics/2024-25.
Asked by: Blake Stephenson (Conservative - Mid Bedfordshire)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate she has made of the potential impact of changes to the VAT status of independent schools on the number of children enrolled in state schools in September 2025.
Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
HM Treasury published a Tax Information and Impact Note on applying VAT to independent school fees, which includes the government’s estimates of the number of pupils expected to enter the state sector as a result of this policy. This is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/vat-on-private-school-fees/applying-vat-to-private-school-fees#who-is-likely-to-be-affected.
Asked by: Blake Stephenson (Conservative - Mid Bedfordshire)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he plans to take to help improve access to life-extending (a) treatments and (b) medicines for patients with incurable secondary breast cancer in Mid Bedfordshire constituency.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department remains committed to reducing waiting times for cancer treatment and to improving access to treatment across England, including for patients with incurable secondary breast cancer in the Mid Bedfordshire constituency.
We have now exceeded our pledge to deliver an extra two million operations, scans, and appointments, having now delivered over four million more appointments as the first step to ensuring earlier and faster access to treatment.
In May 2025, NHS England announced the world’s first roll out of liquid biopsy testing, which is now available for all eligible breast cancer patients, and which aims to speed up diagnosis and inform better treatment options for those with breast cancer.
The National Cancer Plan for England will be published later this year and will set out further details on how we will improve outcomes for all cancer patients, including those with secondary breast cancer. The National Cancer Plan will have patients at its heart and will cover the entirety of the cancer pathway, from referral and diagnosis to treatment and aftercare.