Asked by: Olivia Blake (Labour - Sheffield Hallam)
Question
To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, whether she has considered the potential merits amending the Equality Act 2010 to explicitly forbid perceptive and motivated discrimination.
Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
Provisions under the Equality Act 2010 already account that discrimination may be perceptive and apply regardless of the motivation of the person who is discriminating.
The 2010 Act provides protection against discrimination, harassment, victimisation and unfair treatment because of any of the protected characteristics covered by the Act. It protects people from discrimination in the workplace, access to services and in wider society.
Direct discrimination is when a person is treated less favourably because of a protected characteristic. This includes treating a person less favourably because of a perceived protected characteristic, or because they are associated with someone who has a protected characteristic.
Indirect discrimination is where rules, policies or practices apply in the same way for everyone but put people who share a protected characteristic at a particular disadvantage, unless the person applying the rule, policy or practice can objectively justify it.
Harassment involves unwanted conduct that is related to a relevant characteristic and has the purpose or effect of creating an intimidating, hostile, degrading, humiliating, or offensive environment for the complainant or of violating the complainant’s dignity.
Victimisation is where a person is treated unfairly, punished, threatened with punishment or subjected to a detriment because they make a complaint about discrimination, or give evidence when someone else makes a complaint (irrespective of whether the complaint is upheld).
These protections apply regardless of the motivation of the person discriminating.
With this in mind, the Government has no current plans to amend the 2010 Act.
Asked by: Olivia Blake (Labour - Sheffield Hallam)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she has considered the potential merits of providing free bus travel to over 60s across the whole of the UK.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The English National Concessionary Travel Scheme (ENCTS) provides free off-peak bus travel to those with eligible disabilities and those of state pension age. The ENCTS costs around £795 million annually in reimbursement costs to bus operators, and any changes to the statutory obligations would need to be carefully considered for its impact on the scheme’s financial sustainability. The potential merits of extending free bus travel to over 60s across England were debated in parliament on Monday 5 January, following an e-petition on this topic.
Local authorities in England have the power to offer concessions in addition to their statutory obligations, including lowering the age of eligibility. These are additional local concessions provided and funded by local authorities from local resources.
The Government is investing in bus services long-term and has confirmed over £3 billion from 2026/27 to support local leaders and bus operators across the country to improve bus services over the remainder of the spending review period. This includes multi-year allocations for local authorities under the Local Authority Bus Grant (LABG) totalling nearly £700 million per year.
South Yorkshire Combined Authority has been allocated £52.4 million under the LABG from 2026/27 to 2028/29, in addition to the £17.8 million they are already receiving in 2025/26. Funding allocated to local authorities to improve services can be used in whichever way they wish to deliver better services for passengers, including funding discretionary concessions.
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, if he has considered the potential merits of ensuring that Sport England maintains its role in the statutory planning consultee framework.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
On 17 November 2025, my Department published a consultation on reforms to the statutory consultee system. That consultation closes on 13 January 2026 and can be found on gov.uk here.
No decision will be made on Sport England’s role until views on impacts of these consultation proposals are fully reviewed.
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, when he will publish the outcome of the Healthy Start extension for families with the No Recourse to Public Funds condition; and whether a timeline has been set for bringing the scheme into law.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department is currently considering options following the consultation titled Eligibility for Healthy Start for groups that have no recourse to public funds or are subject to immigration controls. Further information will be available in due course.
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, if he will provide an update on the rollout of a Fracture Liaison Service, due to be implemented by 2030.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
I refer the Hon. Member to the answer I gave to the Hon. Member for Stockton West on 13 October 2025 to Question 77172.
Asked by: Olivia Blake (Labour - Sheffield Hallam)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether data is available on the average length of time people spend living in the UK before acquiring Indefinite Leave to Remain, including (a) all individuals, (b) those on work routes, and (c) those on family routes.
Answered by Mike Tapp - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
The Home Office publishes data on individuals granted indefinite leave to remain, by initial leave type, and number of years into their journey in the ‘Migrant journey’ annual release. Data are published in table ‘MJ_D01’ of the ‘Migrant journey detailed datasets’. Information on how to use the dataset can be found in the ‘Notes’ page of the workbook. The latest data is from 2005 to 2024.
Asked by: Olivia Blake (Labour - Sheffield Hallam)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to Restoring Control Over the Immigration System: White Paper, whether families accessing Free School Meals under the No Recourse to Public Funds extension could be subject to penalties of 5 or 10 years under the earned settlement scheme.
Answered by Mike Tapp - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
Data regarding how many people in the UK are subject to the ‘no recourse to public funds’ condition (NRPF) is currently in development and not ready for release. We will continue to explore what further information on NRPF can be produced. We are unable at this time to provide a specific timeframe for data publication or indeed confirm what will be published.
The earned settlement model is currently subject to a public consultation, running until 12 February 2026. Details of the earned settlement scheme will be finalised following that consultation.
The consultation seeks views on whether there should be transitional arrangements for those already on a pathway to settlement. Consideration will then be given, if appropriate, to how transitional arrangements may be designed to ease the impact of policy change, especially for individuals or groups already afforded permissions by the previous system.
The final model will also be subject to equality impact assessment, which the government has committed to publish in due course.
Free school meals are not classed as a 'public fund' for immigration purposes. It is the Department for Education who set the eligibility criteria for who can access free school meals.
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, what steps he is taking to ensure that the upcoming Homelessness Strategy addresses homelessness among newly recognised refugees arising from the 28 day move-on period.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Through A National Plan to End Homelessness, the Cross-Government Homelessness and Rough Sleeping Strategy, the Home Office has committed to strengthen data sharing processes to ensure councils receive information from asylum accommodation providers for 100% of newly granted refugees at risk of homelessness, within two days of an asylum discontinuation of support notification. This supports early intervention by enabling councils to commence homelessness assessments.
Asked by: Olivia Blake (Labour - Sheffield Hallam)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to Restoring Control Over the Immigration System: White Paper, whether her Department plans to apply the 5 and 10 year penalties for accessing public funds to those on limited leave to remain who are currently living in the UK and receiving benefits.
Answered by Mike Tapp - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
Data regarding how many people in the UK are subject to the ‘no recourse to public funds’ condition (NRPF) is currently in development and not ready for release. We will continue to explore what further information on NRPF can be produced. We are unable at this time to provide a specific timeframe for data publication or indeed confirm what will be published.
The earned settlement model is currently subject to a public consultation, running until 12 February 2026. Details of the earned settlement scheme will be finalised following that consultation.
The consultation seeks views on whether there should be transitional arrangements for those already on a pathway to settlement. Consideration will then be given, if appropriate, to how transitional arrangements may be designed to ease the impact of policy change, especially for individuals or groups already afforded permissions by the previous system.
The final model will also be subject to equality impact assessment, which the government has committed to publish in due course.
Free school meals are not classed as a 'public fund' for immigration purposes. It is the Department for Education who set the eligibility criteria for who can access free school meals.
Asked by: Olivia Blake (Labour - Sheffield Hallam)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many (a) children and (b) adults are subject to the No Recourse to Public Funds condition.
Answered by Mike Tapp - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
Data regarding how many people in the UK are subject to the ‘no recourse to public funds’ condition (NRPF) is currently in development and not ready for release. We will continue to explore what further information on NRPF can be produced. We are unable at this time to provide a specific timeframe for data publication or indeed confirm what will be published.
The earned settlement model is currently subject to a public consultation, running until 12 February 2026. Details of the earned settlement scheme will be finalised following that consultation.
The consultation seeks views on whether there should be transitional arrangements for those already on a pathway to settlement. Consideration will then be given, if appropriate, to how transitional arrangements may be designed to ease the impact of policy change, especially for individuals or groups already afforded permissions by the previous system.
The final model will also be subject to equality impact assessment, which the government has committed to publish in due course.
Free school meals are not classed as a 'public fund' for immigration purposes. It is the Department for Education who set the eligibility criteria for who can access free school meals.