Every parliamentary written question tabled by Olivia Blake this session, with the full answer and department. Back to the MP page.
Showing 1–4 of 4 · Department for Business and Trade
What actions is the Fair Work Agency taking to prevent the exploitation of a) migrant workers b) social care workers.
The Fair Work Agency will be established on 7 April 2026.It will enhance the government’s ability to respond to exploitation and deliver a much-needed upgrade to the enforcement of all workers’ rights, including migrant workers and those in the social care sector.
Whether he plans to (a) increase statutory paternity pay and (b) extend the duration of protected paternity leave.
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.
What steps he is taking to support women in the workplace with flexible working.
The Government knows how important flexible working can be to help women with caring responsibilities manage their work and personal commitments. It can also be equally important for carers of vulnerable adults as well as employees with long-term physical or mental health conditions. That is why the Government, through the Employment Rights Bill, is increasing access to flexible working by making it the default except where not reasonably feasible. These measures will support all employees, including women, to access flexible working. The changes in the Bill will require employers to accept flexible working requests where it is reasonably feasible to do so.
What assessment his Department has made of the potential contribution of domestic steel production to the transition to 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.