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 progress NHS England’s ADHD Taskforce has made on improving access to (a) services and (b) support.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) taskforce, established by NHS England, is working to bring together those with lived experience with experts from the National Health Service, education, charity, and justice sectors, to get a better understanding of the challenges affecting those with ADHD, including timely and equitable access to services and support. The taskforce is working closely with the Department for Education’s Neurodivergence Task and Finish Group to ensure consideration of joined up services and support across the health and education systems. The taskforce expects to publish its report in the summer.
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 he is taking to reduce waiting times for adult ADHD assessments.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Lord Darzi’s independent review of the National Health Service, published September 2024, highlighted the severe delays in access to attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) assessments and that demand for assessments for ADHD has grown significantly in recent years.
It is the responsibility of the integrated care boards (ICBs) in England to make appropriate provision to meet the health and care needs of their local population, including ADHD assessments, in line with relevant National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidelines.
NHS England has established an ADHD taskforce which is working to bring 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 timely and equitable access to services and support, with the report expected in the summer.
In conjunction with the taskforce, NHS England has carried out detailed work to develop an ADHD data improvement plan to inform future service planning. NHS England has also captured examples from ICBs who are trialling innovative ways of delivering ADHD services, and is using this information to support systems to tackle ADHD waiting lists and provide support to address people’s needs.
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, what assessment his Department has made of the potential contribution of domestic steel production to the transition to net zero.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Steel was responsible for 3% of UK emissions in 2022, 16% of UK manufacturing emissions. The majority of these emissions were due to the production of steel via the Blast Furnace route at Port Talbot and Scunthorpe. Currently the only commercially viable decarbonisation option is Electric Arc Furnaces (EAFs), which can also contribute to meeting the demand for steel required for the Net Zero transition.
UK Government and Tata Steel have agreed a transformation deal to decarbonisation Port Talbot reducing carbon emissions from the site by 85%, and UK emissions by 1.5%.
We are also open to supporting innovative technologies like hydrogen-based Direct Reduced Iron (DRI) and Carbon Capture and Storage and continue to assess their feasibility.
Asked by: Olivia Blake (Labour - Sheffield Hallam)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she plans to publish a Hate Crime Action Plan.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Government is determined to tackle all forms of hate crime.
We have a robust legislative framework in place to respond to hate crimes which target race, religion, sexual orientation, disability, and transgender identity, and we back the police in taking strong action against the perpetrators of these heinous crimes.
The Government funds an online hate crime reporting portal, True Vision, designed so victims of all types of hate crime do not have to visit a police station to report. We are also continuing to fund the National Online Hate Crime Hub, which supports individual local police forces in dealing specifically with online hate crime, providing expert advice to police to support them in investigating these abhorrent offences.
The Government is carefully considering how best to strengthen the response to hate crime going forward so we can continue to tackle this offending head on.
Asked by: Olivia Blake (Labour - Sheffield Hallam)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the potential (a) impact of the Spanish government's migration strategy on economic growth in that country and (b) merits of allowing asylum seekers to work.
Answered by Darren Jones - Chief Secretary to the Treasury
No assessment has been made on the impact of the Spanish government’s migration strategy on economic growth in Spain.
The Government is committed to ensuring the UK border is secure and has a properly controlled, functioning and managed asylum system. Our new approach is expected to reduce asylum spending in the UK by over £4 billion across 2024/25 and 2025/26