Asked by: Imran Hussain (Labour - Bradford East)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the White Paper entitled People at the Heart of Care, published in December 2021, what his Department's timescales are for beginning the consultation on increasing the Disabled Facilities Grant cap.
Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
As with all aspects of the Disabled Facilities Grant, the Government will continue to keep the upper limit under review. Local areas also already have discretion to increase the cap on the grant on a case-by-case basis or in line with a locally published housing assistance policy.
Asked by: Imran Hussain (Labour - Bradford East)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of introducing legislation to (a) reduce the noise levels of all categories of fireworks, (b) ban the sale of category 3 and 4 fireworks and (c) introduce licences for selling fireworks.
Answered by Kevin Hollinrake - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Government endorses the considerate use of fireworks and believes that the existing regulatory framework strikes the right balance between allowing individuals to enjoy fireworks while reducing the risks and disturbances to individuals, animals and property. The majority of individuals who use fireworks do so in a responsible and safe manner and there are enforcement mechanisms in place to tackle situations when fireworks are misused.
The Department has no plans to i) reduce the maximum permitted noise level of fireworks for public sale, ii) ban the sale of category 3 and 4 fireworks or iii) amend the existing licensing scheme for selling fireworks but the Government continues to monitor the situation and engage with stakeholders to listen to and understand their views.
Asked by: Imran Hussain (Labour - Bradford East)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what guidance her Department provides local authorities on food waste collections; and whether she plans to issue any further guidance.
Answered by Rebecca Pow - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
We will provide support and advice through statutory and non-statutory guidance and ensure best practice is widely available to assist local authorities.
Asked by: Imran Hussain (Labour - Bradford East)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether her Department plans to publish an Ethnicity Pay Gap Report for financial year 2023-24 in line with the Ethnicity Pay Gap reporting guidance for employers published on 17 April 2023.
Answered by Nigel Huddleston - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
Asked by: Imran Hussain (Labour - Bradford East)
Question to the Attorney General:
To ask the Attorney General, if their Department will publish an Ethnicity Pay Gap Report for financial year 2023-24 in line with the Ethnicity Pay Gap reporting guidance for employers published on 17 April 2023.
Answered by Michael Tomlinson - Minister of State (Minister for Illegal Migration)
The Government Legal Department [GLD] is currently considering the best way to approach Ethnicity Pay Gap reporting in the Civil Service and is working with Civil Service HR colleagues and other government departments through the details of the reporting guidance published on 17 April 2023.
The Civil Service is looking to develop Ethnicity Pay Gap Reporting in line with current Gender Pay Gap Reporting. The outcomes of this development work will inform whether we are able to publish a report for 2023/2024.
Asked by: Imran Hussain (Labour - Bradford East)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if their Department will publish an Ethnicity Pay Gap Report for financial year 2023-24 in line with the Ethnicity Pay Gap reporting guidance for employers published on 17 April 2023.
Answered by Jeremy Quin
Ethnicity Pay Gap reporting is voluntary. The Cabinet Office is working with other government departments to consider the details of the Ethnicity Pay Gap reporting guidance published in April. More generally the Civil Service is undertaking extensive work both centrally and within departments to promote diversity across its workplaces, including ethnicity.
Asked by: Imran Hussain (Labour - Bradford East)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, if their Department will publish an Ethnicity Pay Gap Report for financial year 2023-24 in line with the Ethnicity Pay Gap reporting guidance for employers published on 17 April 2023.
Answered by Dehenna Davison
The Cabinet Office is working with other government departments to consider the details of the Ethnicity Pay Gap reporting guidance published in April. More generally the Civil Service is undertaking extensive work both centrally and within departments to promote diversity across its workplaces, including ethnicity.
Asked by: Imran Hussain (Labour - Bradford East)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, if their Department will publish an Ethnicity Pay Gap Report for financial year 2023-24 in line with the Ethnicity Pay Gap reporting guidance for employers published on 17 April 2023.
Answered by George Freeman
We are currently considering the best way to approach Ethnicity Pay Gap reporting in the Civil Service. The Civil Service is looking to develop a consistent methodology to be used in departments to produce the data.
We are working with Civil Service HR to work through the detail so the Ethnicity Pay Gap reporting guidance which was published on 17 April 2023.
Asked by: Imran Hussain (Labour - Bradford East)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many inspections relating to asbestos the Health and Safety Executive conducted in each year since 2010.
Answered by Mims Davies - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
HSE grants licences to a small number of companies which carry out high risk types of asbestos work. HSE then visits a sample of these sites to ensure standards are met safely.
Historically HSE has only conducted inspections of organisations who hold a HSE granted asbestos
licence. Inspections of other, non-licenced work with asbestos such as cleaning up small quantities of asbestos-containing materials or drilling holes into asbestos insulating boards were not routinely recorded. Following the Work and Pensions Committee inquiry into HSE’s approach to asbestos management, non-licensed asbestos inspection activity will be recorded separately for 2023/24. Further information is available on HSE’s website here.
The table below show the number of inspections conducted by HSE of organisations holding an asbestos licence each year from 2010:
Year* | Number of inspections |
2010 - 2011 | 1873 |
2011 - 2012 | 1755 |
2012 - 2013 | 1522 |
2013 - 2014 | 1275 |
2014 - 2015 | 1065 |
2015 - 2016 | 1109 |
2016 - 2017 | 1028 |
2017 - 2018 | 1052 |
2018 - 2019 | 1001 |
2019 - 2020 | 907 |
2020 - 2021 | 893 |
2021 - 2022 | 870 |
2022 - 2023 | 882** |
*HSE Work Year from 1 April to 31 March - **Provisional
Since 2010, the number of license holders has reduced by 30% along with a 29% reduction in the jobs they carry out, consequently requiring less inspections. HSE also moved to a centralised, electronic system to facilitate improved targeting to asbestos inspections during this period ensuring the right number of inspections to each licensee.
Asked by: Imran Hussain (Labour - Bradford East)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when his Department plans to commence the consultation on increasing the upper limit of the Disabled Facilities Grant.
Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
As with all aspects of the Disabled Facilities Grant, Government will continue to keep the upper limit under review. Local areas also already have discretion to increase the cap on the grant on a case-by-case basis or in line with a locally published housing assistance policy.