Lord Hendy

The Government is delivering fundamental reform of building and fire safety across both the Building Safety Bill and Fire Safety Bill.

The List of Ministerial Responsibilities can be found on GOV.UK.

There is no Government plan to reduce workers’ rights.

In our manifesto, the Government promised to maintain existing levels of protections for workers provided by our laws and regulations as we left the EU. In any case, our high standards were never dependent on our membership of the EU. The UK has one of the best employment rights records in the world and it is well known that in many areas the UK goes further than the EU on worker protections.

We have also committed to enhancing workers’ rights now that we have left the EU. We have already set out plans to bring forward legislation which will make workplaces fairer, provide better support for working families and new protections for those in low-paid work.

Our manifesto contains commitments to create a new, single enforcement body for labour market abuses, to give greater protections for workers, as well as plans to encourage greater flexible working.

The Government continues to work with stakeholders on developing sensible guidance for businesses that will give UK workers the utmost confidence on their return to work. We will now focus on sectors that are not currently open to help them plan for when they can open. The Government is keen to stay in close contact with other business sectors so we have the right information ahead of any further guidance publications.

We will keep the guidance under review and will consider updating it as circumstances change. We are being led by the science and we will make changes to the guidance when they are needed as determined by the science and as we learn best practices from businesses. We welcome views on the guidance. If there are specific points you would want to make about safer working, contact details can be found on the gov.uk/workingsafely?webpages.

The guidance outlines where an employer’s risk assessment identifies that certain steps need to be taken to reduce the risk of COVID-19, such as ensuring social distancing is maintained or providing additional handwashing facilities, it is the employer’s responsibility to ensure that these steps are taken. This is already an existing obligation for employers, which this guidance does not change. If an employer’s risk assessment does show that PPE is required, employers must provide this PPE free of charge to workers who need it, and any PPE must fit properly.

The Government has given a very clear commitment to protect worker’s rights now that the United Kingdom (UK) has left the European Union (EU). This includes health and safety in the workplace. The Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 has led to the UK having one of the best records on health and safety in the world. Health and safety requirements derived from EU law will become part of retained EU law at the end of the Implementation Period and continue to apply in the UK. There are no plans to change this.

The government understands that people across the UK are worried about the rising cost of living.

On 8 September, the government announced that the Energy Price Guarantee will supersede the energy price cap, which means that a typical UK household will pay no more than £2500 a year on their energy bill over the next 2 years from 1 October.

To address cost of living in the longer term, it is important that we help people into work, support them to increase their incomes and ensure they keep more of what they earn.

In April, the National Living Wage (NLW) increased by 6.6% to £9.50 an hour for workers aged 23 and over, which is expected to benefit more than 2 million workers. This means an increase of over £1,000 to the annual earnings of a full-time worker on the NLW.

We are also supporting people to improve their earnings prospects and support their success in the labour market. At Spending Review 2021, the government confirmed that it is investing a total of £3.8 billion in skills in England by 2024-25.

More broadly, our economic plan will be pro-growth. As a matter of priority, the Chancellor will set out a package of measures to deliver on the Prime Minister’s commitment to cut taxes and boost growth, laying the groundwork for the change we need in the long term to make our economy stronger.

The Department considered and acted on the recommendations of the Coroner's report into the Lakanal House fire in 2009. A note setting out the action the Government took in response to the recommendations was been placed in the Library of the House in September 2017 in response to Question UIN HL1281 on 5 September 2017.

Since the publication of this note we have published a clarified version of Approved Document B available (attached) at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/fire-safety-approved-document-b

In April 2020, the Government published the workplan for the technical review of the statutory guidance to the Building Regulations with regards to fire safety (Approved Document B).

We are commissioning the research for this fundamental review which will address a number of key fire safety issues. We have already started research for means of escape for disabled people, specialised house and care homes, trigger thresholds and other important topics.

Details of the technical review (attached) are set out at:

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/877365/Technical_review_of_Approved_Document_B_workplan.pdf

In April 2020, the Government published the workplan for the technical review of the statutory guidance to the Building Regulations with regards to fire safety (Approved Document B).

We are commissioning the research for this fundamental review which will address a number of key fire safety issues. We have already started research for means of escape for disabled people, specialised house and care homes, trigger thresholds and other important topics.

Details of the technical review (attached) are set out at:

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/877365/Technical_review_of_Approved_Document_B_workplan.pdf