Asked by: Olivia Blake (Labour - Sheffield Hallam)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether her Department has assessed the potential merits of building more driving test centres to meet demand.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency’s (DVSA) main priority is upholding road safety standards while it works hard to reduce car practical driving test waiting times.
On the 23 April, the Secretary of State for Transport appeared before the Transport Select Committee and announced that DVSA will take further actions to reduce waiting times for all customers across Great Britain.
These actions include incentivised additional testing offers for driving examiners, doubling permanent training capacity for new driving examiners, and a call for volunteers from those currently in other roles (but qualified to examine) to carry out practical driving tests. DVSA continues to run recruitment campaigns for new driving examiners.
DVSA has no current plans to open any further practical driving test centres. DVSA is committed to providing its customers with the best service possible and continually reviews its estate to ensure it represents good value for money and is efficient.
Asked by: Olivia Blake (Labour - Sheffield Hallam)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps her Department is taking to tackle the impact of covid-19 on driving test backlogs.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency’s (DVSA) main priority is upholding road safety standards while it works hard to reduce car practical driving test waiting times.
On the 23 April, the Secretary of State for Transport appeared before the Transport Select Committee and announced that DVSA will take further actions to reduce waiting times for all customers across Great Britain.
These actions include incentivised additional testing offers for driving examiners, doubling permanent training capacity for new driving examiners, and a call for volunteers from those currently in other roles (but qualified to examine) to carry out practical driving tests. DVSA continues to run recruitment campaigns for new driving examiners.
DVSA has no current plans to open any further practical driving test centres. DVSA is committed to providing its customers with the best service possible and continually reviews its estate to ensure it represents good value for money and is efficient.
Asked by: Olivia Blake (Labour - Sheffield Hallam)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether he plans to (a) increase statutory paternity pay and (b) extend the duration of protected paternity leave.
Answered by Kate Dearden - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The standard rate of Statutory Pay, including Statutory Paternity Pay, is reviewed annually at the discretion of the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions. From April 2025, the rate increased from £184.03 to £187.18 per week.
When considering calls to increase entitlements for parents, the Government must balance the needs of parents, the impact on employers, and affordability for taxpayers. However, we recognise that more can be done to support working families. On 1 July we launched the Parental Leave and Pay Review, which will consider all existing and upcoming parental leave entitlements, including paternity leave and pay.
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 her Department's review of the adults at risk in immigration detention policy, whether she has considered the potential merits of including (a) lesbian, (b) bisexual and (c) gay people on the list of indicators of risk.
Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)
As part of the review of the adults at risk in immigration detention policy, I can confirm that officials have considered the merits of including lesbian, gay and bisexual people on the list of indicators of risk under the policy. In addition, written comments and representations from a number of organisations that represent lesbian, gay and bisexual people were provided to the Home Office further to external engagement on the review.
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 her Department's Statement of 1 September 2025 on Borders and Asylum, Official Report, col 26, what steps she plans to take to tighten the test for asylum accommodation.
Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)
We are reviewing our processes, policies and legislation to ensure that only those who need support receive it. We will set out reforms to the asylum system later this year in the Asylum Policy statement.
Asked by: Olivia Blake (Labour - Sheffield Hallam)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of introducing a two per cent levy on Premier League player transfers costing more than £10 million.
Answered by James Murray - Chief Secretary to the Treasury
The government is committed to ensuring the long-term health of English football at all levels. At this moment in time, the government is not considering a levy on football transfers.
The government continues to keep options under review to help ensure the financial sustainability of the English footballing pyramid.
Asked by: Olivia Blake (Labour - Sheffield Hallam)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether (a) asylum seeking families, (b) asylum seeking unaccompanied minors and (c) all types of asylum seekers would be eligible for transfer from asylum hotels to military barracks.
Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Home Office is firmly committed to ensuring that destitute asylum seekers are provided with safe, secure, and appropriate accommodation, and that they are treated with dignity throughout the asylum process.
Any requests to be accommodated in a particular location are considered under the Home Office Allocation of Asylum Accommodation Policy on a case-by-case basis, balancing the overarching principle that accommodation is offered on a ‘no choice basis’ against the strength of the exceptional circumstances.
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 will consider introducing legislation allowing councils to introduce landlord licensing powers across whole cities, rather than selective schemes.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
On 23 December 2024, a new General Approval for selective licensing came into force. This enables local authorities to introduce selective licensing schemes of any size without seeking approval from the Secretary of State. Under the previous 2015 General Approval, approval was required for schemes covering more than 20% of a local authority’s Private Rented Sector stock or geographical area.
No changes have been made to the legislative requirements for introducing and managing a selective licensing scheme. Local authorities will still need to meet the requirements under Part 3 of the Housing Act 2004 and comply with the condition in the General Approval to consult for at least 10 weeks on any new schemes.
Asked by: Olivia Blake (Labour - Sheffield Hallam)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she has any plans to increase the yearly income threshold for postgraduate student loans to above £21,000.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The postgraduate loans schemes were introduced to help remove the financial barrier faced by those wishing to step up to achieve a postgraduate level qualification. They are part of the long-term commitment to make the UK more globally competitive by increasing the number of those with high level skills and knowledge. As part of the department’s ongoing work, we always consider a range of factors which can affect repayment thresholds and recognise the importance of ensuring that the system remains fair for borrowers, as well as being financially sustainable.
The department will announce the postgraduate loan threshold applicable from 2026/2027 financial year 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, whether he plans to take steps to reduce the waiting time for ADHD prescription under Sheffield Adult Autism and Neurodevelopmental Service.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government has recognised that, nationally, demand for assessments for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) has grown significantly in recent years and that people are experiencing severe delays accessing such assessments.
It is the responsibility of the integrated care boards (ICBs) in England to make available appropriate provision to meet the health and care needs of their local population, including providing access to ADHD assessment and treatment, in line with relevant National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidelines.
NHS England established an ADHD taskforce which brought together those with lived experience with experts from the NHS, education, charity, and justice sectors to get a better understanding of the challenges affecting those with ADHD, including in accessing services and support. An interim report was published on 20 June, with the final report expected later this year, and we will carefully consider its recommendations.
The NHS South Yorkshire ICB advises that the Sheffield Adult Autism and Neurodevelopmental Service is reviewing its diagnostic pathways and recruiting additional staff in order to improve efficiency within the service. The NHS South Yorkshire ICB has also commissioned the Adult Autism and ADHD Support Hub, delivered by the voluntary sector organisation, Mental Health Matters, to offer free support to autistic people and people with ADHD living in Sheffield. The hub provides a range of practical advice and information on areas such as confidence building, peer support, and wellbeing.