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.
Asked by: Olivia Blake (Labour - Sheffield Hallam)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department are taking to ensure drivers leave at least 1.5 metres of space when overtaking cyclists.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
The Highway Code was updated in 2022 to include changes to improve safety for cyclists, pedestrians and horse riders, including guidance on safe passing distances and speeds and the introduction of a hierarchy of road users. The Department ran a THINK! campaign to raise awareness of the changes as they came into effect. This was followed by broader behaviour change campaigns in the summer of 2022 and 2023, to help embed the changes and encourage understanding and uptake of the guidance.
We also promote cycle safety advice for cyclists and motorists via THINK! social channels, education resources and run radio filler advertising encouraging motorists to maintain safe driving distances from cyclists and horse riders and to use the Dutch Reach when opening car doors to help keep cyclists safe.
The Department has not made any assessment of the potential impact of increasing the size of car bonnets on pedestrian or cyclist safety. All mass-produced cars are required to meet pedestrian protection requirements which are designed to protect pedestrians and cyclists in the event of a crash.
However, we are aware of the issue and intend to commission some work in this area to fully understand the impact of the trend in increased bonnet height.
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 made an assessment of the potential impact of increasing the size of car bonnets on (a) pedestrian and (b) cyclist safety.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
The Highway Code was updated in 2022 to include changes to improve safety for cyclists, pedestrians and horse riders, including guidance on safe passing distances and speeds and the introduction of a hierarchy of road users. The Department ran a THINK! campaign to raise awareness of the changes as they came into effect. This was followed by broader behaviour change campaigns in the summer of 2022 and 2023, to help embed the changes and encourage understanding and uptake of the guidance.
We also promote cycle safety advice for cyclists and motorists via THINK! social channels, education resources and run radio filler advertising encouraging motorists to maintain safe driving distances from cyclists and horse riders and to use the Dutch Reach when opening car doors to help keep cyclists safe.
The Department has not made any assessment of the potential impact of increasing the size of car bonnets on pedestrian or cyclist safety. All mass-produced cars are required to meet pedestrian protection requirements which are designed to protect pedestrians and cyclists in the event of a crash.
However, we are aware of the issue and intend to commission some work in this area to fully understand the impact of the trend in increased bonnet height.
Asked by: Olivia Blake (Labour - Sheffield Hallam)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she is taking to ensure the safety of cyclists.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
The Highway Code was updated in 2022 to include changes to improve safety for cyclists, pedestrians and horse riders, including guidance on safe passing distances and speeds and the introduction of a hierarchy of road users. The Department ran a THINK! campaign to raise awareness of the changes as they came into effect. This was followed by broader behaviour change campaigns in the summer of 2022 and 2023, to help embed the changes and encourage understanding and uptake of the guidance.
We also promote cycle safety advice for cyclists and motorists via THINK! social channels, education resources and run radio filler advertising encouraging motorists to maintain safe driving distances from cyclists and horse riders and to use the Dutch Reach when opening car doors to help keep cyclists safe.
The Department has not made any assessment of the potential impact of increasing the size of car bonnets on pedestrian or cyclist safety. All mass-produced cars are required to meet pedestrian protection requirements which are designed to protect pedestrians and cyclists in the event of a crash.
However, we are aware of the issue and intend to commission some work in this area to fully understand the impact of the trend in increased bonnet height.
Asked by: Olivia Blake (Labour - Sheffield Hallam)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will take steps to extend the ban on water company bonuses to cover payments from offshore companies.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
This Government has been clear about our expectations - and those of the public - regarding unwarranted water company bonuses.
Companies should be transparent over the entire remuneration package for executives, so Ofwat can robustly monitor and enforce against its new rule on executive remuneration and assess the rule’s effectiveness ahead of the planned review in 2027.
Should Ofwat find any rule breaches, companies will face enforcement action which can include financial penalties.
Asked by: Olivia Blake (Labour - Sheffield Hallam)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, when he plans to increase legal aid rates.
Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
We have confirmed we will be uplifting housing and immigration legal aid fees. Overall spending in these categories will increase by 24% for housing work and 30% for immigration work. This represents a significant investment – the first since 1996 – resulting in an increase of £20 million a year once fully implemented.
We have recently consulted on funding of up to £92 million more a year for criminal legal aid and prison solicitors to help address the ongoing challenges in the criminal justice system. This money is in addition to the £24 million uplift the Government introduced to the criminal duty solicitor scheme.
Following the cyber security incident, our focus has been on restoring Legal Aid Agency services, ensuring access to justice through business continuity, including delegating authority to providers and offering weekly average civil payments. These contingency measures have supported providers to continue to operate and support the public. However, we are committed to implementing the significant fee uplifts in civil and criminal legal aid as soon as operationally possible.
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 with local authorities to increase the number of dedicated cycle lines.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
The Spending Review in June 2025 allocated £616 million for Active Travel England to support local authorities to build and maintain walking and cycling infrastructure from 2026/27 onwards, including dedicated cycling routes. This comes on top of £222.5 million announced in February 2025 for local authorities over 2024/25-25/26. Local authorities are responsible for deciding on how to invest the funding, in line with local priorities.
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 is taking to ensure Physician Associates are supported to transition into new roles within the NHS on equal bands to their current roles.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The principal question of the Leng Review was to assess whether the roles of physician assistants (PAs) and physician assistants in anaesthesia, still legally known as physician associates and anaesthesia associates, are safe and effective. The review’s findings were clear that, with changes in line with its recommendations, there remains a place for these roles to continue as supportive, complementary members of medical teams.
The review recommendations include ensuring that PAs have the opportunity for ongoing training and development in the context of a formal certification and credentialling programme.
Professor Leng will be undertaking a temporary and continuing role to support the implementation of the recommendations, which will include driving wider discussions with a range of system partners including NHS England, the General Medical Council, royal colleges, professional bodies, and higher education institutions to consider further the changes needed to implement the recommendations.
We are committed to training the staff we need to ensure patients are cared for by the right professional, when and where they need it. Our forthcoming 10 Year Workforce Plan will look at how to get the right people, in the right places, with the right skills to deliver the best care, and we will consider the findings of the Leng Review when developing the plan.
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 the eligibility criteria for covid-19 boosters has changed for unpaid carers.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government’s policy on eligibility for vaccination programmes is based on advice from the independent scientific advisory committee, the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI). For autumn 2025, the JCVI advised that COVID-19 vaccination be offered to:
The eligibility of COVID-19 vaccines for unpaid carers in autumn 2025 is the same as it was in 2024 and has not changed this year. Unpaid carers are not eligible for COVID-19 vaccination in the national programme. If unpaid carers quality on other grounds, for example, if they are immunosuppressed, then they can come forward to get a vaccine.
The Government has accepted the JCVI’s advice for COVID-19 vaccine eligibility in autumn 2025.
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 his Department plans to introduce a community right to buy for nature that would enable local communities to (a) purchase and (b) restore land for (i) environmental and (ii) biodiversity purposes.
Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The government is committed to ensuring that communities are able to protect all local assets that are important to them. The new community right to buy, which we are introducing through the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill, will give communities stronger powers to take ownership of these assets and save them for future community use.
Communities will be able to nominate any asset that furthers the social or economic wellbeing of the community, which will include a range of environmental assets, and purchase these if they are put up for sale.