Asked by: Olivia Blake (Labour - Sheffield Hallam)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether he plans to amend the definition of statutory overcrowding to prevent living and dining rooms being defined as bedrooms.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The government has no current plans to amend the definition of overcrowding found in Part X of the Housing Act 1985.
Asked by: Olivia Blake (Labour - Sheffield Hallam)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment they have made of the consistency and adequacy of shared‑care protocols for adults with ADHD across integrated care boards.
Answered by Preet Kaur Gill
It is the responsibility of integrated care boards in England to make available appropriate provision to meet the health and care needs of their local population, including providing access to attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) assessment, treatment, and support services in line with relevant National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines.
The NICE ADHD guideline does not set out a timeframe within which medication should be provided, but it does explain the key considerations for clinicians when deciding whether to offer medication.
The General Medical Council (GMC) has issued guidance on prescribing and managing medicines to support general practitioners (GPs) in deciding whether to accept shared care responsibilities. In deciding whether to enter into a shared care agreement, a GP will need to consider a number of factors such as whether the proposed activity is within their sphere of competence, and therefore safe and suitable for their patient’s needs. This includes the GP being satisfied that any prescriptions or referrals for treatment are clinically appropriate. GP practices may decline such requests on clinical or capacity grounds.
If a shared care arrangement cannot be put in place after the treatment has been initiated, the responsibility for continued prescribing falls upon the specialist clinician, and this applies to both National Health Service and private medical care.
The Government announced on 4 December 2025 the launch of an Independent Review into Prevalence and Support for Mental Health Conditions, ADHD and Autism. This independent review will inform our approach to enabling people with ADHD and autistic people to have the right support in place to enable them to live well in their communities.
The final report, due in the summer, will make recommendations on how the Government, the health system, and wider public services can respond to increasing demand for support more fairly and effectively so that people receive the right support, at the right time, in the right place.
Asked by: Olivia Blake (Labour - Sheffield Hallam)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what support is being provided to GPs to enable them to participate in shared‑care arrangements for ADHD.
Answered by Preet Kaur Gill
It is the responsibility of integrated care boards in England to make available appropriate provision to meet the health and care needs of their local population, including providing access to attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) assessment, treatment, and support services in line with relevant National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines.
The NICE ADHD guideline does not set out a timeframe within which medication should be provided, but it does explain the key considerations for clinicians when deciding whether to offer medication.
The General Medical Council (GMC) has issued guidance on prescribing and managing medicines to support general practitioners (GPs) in deciding whether to accept shared care responsibilities. In deciding whether to enter into a shared care agreement, a GP will need to consider a number of factors such as whether the proposed activity is within their sphere of competence, and therefore safe and suitable for their patient’s needs. This includes the GP being satisfied that any prescriptions or referrals for treatment are clinically appropriate. GP practices may decline such requests on clinical or capacity grounds.
If a shared care arrangement cannot be put in place after the treatment has been initiated, the responsibility for continued prescribing falls upon the specialist clinician, and this applies to both National Health Service and private medical care.
The Government announced on 4 December 2025 the launch of an Independent Review into Prevalence and Support for Mental Health Conditions, ADHD and Autism. This independent review will inform our approach to enabling people with ADHD and autistic people to have the right support in place to enable them to live well in their communities.
The final report, due in the summer, will make recommendations on how the Government, the health system, and wider public services can respond to increasing demand for support more fairly and effectively so that people receive the right support, at the right time, in the right place.
Asked by: Olivia Blake (Labour - Sheffield Hallam)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department plans to take to recruit NHS cardiologists (a) nationally and (b) in regions suffering from shortages.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Decisions on recruitment and employment are a matter for individual National Health Service trusts which manage their recruitment at a local level, ensuring they have the right number of staff in place, with the right skill mix, to deliver safe and effective care.
The new resident doctors’ deal will see significant expansion of training places by up to 4,500 over the next three years, including 1,000 next year, 250 of which will be starting in February. This expansion combined with the impact of the Medical Training (Prioritisation) Act is expected to bring competition ratios down and tackle specialty bottlenecks almost immediately.
The forthcoming 10 Year Workforce Plan will ensure the NHS has the right people in the right places, with the right skills to care for patients, when they need it. We are working through how the plan will articulate the changes for different professional groups.
Asked by: Olivia Blake (Labour - Sheffield Hallam)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether an equality impact assessment has been undertaken for the raised 'standard of proof' for asylum claims, as amended following the Nationality and Borders Act 2022.
Answered by Alex Norris - Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice
As required through the Public Sector Equality Duty, we consider equality impact assessments throughout the policy development process. Raising the 'standard of proof' for asylum claims that were made on or after 28 June 2022 when the Nationality and Borders Act 2022 came into force was no exception.
We are committed to ensuring that proposals are considered carefully so that they support creation of a system which is both fair and sustainable.