To match an exact phrase, use quotation marks around the search term. eg. "Parliamentary Estate". Use "OR" or "AND" as link words to form more complex queries.


Keep yourself up-to-date with the latest developments by exploring our subscription options to receive notifications direct to your inbox

Written Question
Laboratories: Urban Areas
Wednesday 18th October 2023

Asked by: Mike Penning (Conservative - Hemel Hempstead)

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many biosafety level 4 labs are located in urban areas in the UK.

Answered by Mims Davies - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)

There are 9 facilities located in the UK that contain laboratories operating at Containment Level 4. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) as the regulator of workplace health and safety in Great Britain does not specifically record data based on the Office for National Statistic’s definition of ‘urban areas’ but can confirm that most Containment Level 4 facilities are based away from population centres.

HSE is responsible for the regulatory frameworks and oversight of the handling of pathogens and genetically modified organisms and for enforcing biosafety standards in high level containment facilities. The approach to biosafety enforced by HSE is underpinned by formal notification requirements and well-established risk-based regulatory frameworks designed to facilitate the effective and proportionate management of the risks that exist at facilities where work is undertaken with dangerous pathogens.


Written Question
Laboratories
Wednesday 18th October 2023

Asked by: Mike Penning (Conservative - Hemel Hempstead)

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many biosafety level 4 labs are located in the UK.

Answered by Mims Davies - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)

There are 9 facilities located in the UK that contain laboratories operating at Containment Level 4. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) as the regulator of workplace health and safety in Great Britain does not specifically record data based on the Office for National Statistic’s definition of ‘urban areas’ but can confirm that most Containment Level 4 facilities are based away from population centres.

HSE is responsible for the regulatory frameworks and oversight of the handling of pathogens and genetically modified organisms and for enforcing biosafety standards in high level containment facilities. The approach to biosafety enforced by HSE is underpinned by formal notification requirements and well-established risk-based regulatory frameworks designed to facilitate the effective and proportionate management of the risks that exist at facilities where work is undertaken with dangerous pathogens.


Written Question
Laboratories: Safety
Wednesday 18th October 2023

Asked by: Mike Penning (Conservative - Hemel Hempstead)

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what oversight protocols are in place for biosafety level 4 labs in the UK.

Answered by Mims Davies - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)

There are 9 facilities located in the UK that contain laboratories operating at Containment Level 4. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) as the regulator of workplace health and safety in Great Britain does not specifically record data based on the Office for National Statistic’s definition of ‘urban areas’ but can confirm that most Containment Level 4 facilities are based away from population centres.

HSE is responsible for the regulatory frameworks and oversight of the handling of pathogens and genetically modified organisms and for enforcing biosafety standards in high level containment facilities. The approach to biosafety enforced by HSE is underpinned by formal notification requirements and well-established risk-based regulatory frameworks designed to facilitate the effective and proportionate management of the risks that exist at facilities where work is undertaken with dangerous pathogens.


Written Question
Didcot Power Station
Tuesday 1st February 2022

Asked by: Mike Penning (Conservative - Hemel Hempstead)

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will publish a timeframe for the remainder of the joint HSE and Thames Valley Police investigation into the partial collapse at Didcot Power Station on 23 February 2016.

Answered by Chloe Smith

As the lead investigatory body under the Work-Related Deaths Protocol, Thames Valley Police (TVP) have primacy over the investigation following the partial collapse at Didcot Power Station on 23 February 2016. They continue to investigate corporate manslaughter, gross negligence manslaughter and health and safety offences jointly with Health and Safety Executive (HSE).

TVP and HSE and remain committed to this challenging investigation. The dedicated team of investigators continue to work diligently to complete it and the results are clearly eagerly awaited by all involved, not least the families of those men who lost their lives. The size and complex nature of the investigation means it is impossible to provide any reliable timeline for completion.

Preliminary reports are not provided as part of a criminal investigation. HSE to date has not needed to issue a safety alert in relation to the partial collapse at Didcot. When appropriate, HSE has and will continue to undertake proactive communications around demolition to inform and educate industry without explicitly mentioning the ongoing Didcot investigation.


Written Question
Didcot Power Station
Tuesday 1st February 2022

Asked by: Mike Penning (Conservative - Hemel Hempstead)

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will require the HSE to publish preliminary advice or guidance for the demolition industry based on its joint investigation with Thames Valley Police into the partial collapse at Didcot Power Station on 23 February 2016.

Answered by Chloe Smith

As the lead investigatory body under the Work-Related Deaths Protocol, Thames Valley Police (TVP) have primacy over the investigation following the partial collapse at Didcot Power Station on 23 February 2016. They continue to investigate corporate manslaughter, gross negligence manslaughter and health and safety offences jointly with Health and Safety Executive (HSE).

TVP and HSE and remain committed to this challenging investigation. The dedicated team of investigators continue to work diligently to complete it and the results are clearly eagerly awaited by all involved, not least the families of those men who lost their lives. The size and complex nature of the investigation means it is impossible to provide any reliable timeline for completion.

Preliminary reports are not provided as part of a criminal investigation. HSE to date has not needed to issue a safety alert in relation to the partial collapse at Didcot. When appropriate, HSE has and will continue to undertake proactive communications around demolition to inform and educate industry without explicitly mentioning the ongoing Didcot investigation.


Written Question
Didcot Power Station
Tuesday 1st February 2022

Asked by: Mike Penning (Conservative - Hemel Hempstead)

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will require the HSE to publish a preliminary report from its joint investigation with Thames Valley Police into the partial collapse at Didcot Power Station on 23 February 2016 to provide closure for the families of the four men who died in that collapse and guidance for the demolition industry.

Answered by Chloe Smith

As the lead investigatory body under the Work-Related Deaths Protocol, Thames Valley Police (TVP) have primacy over the investigation following the partial collapse at Didcot Power Station on 23 February 2016. They continue to investigate corporate manslaughter, gross negligence manslaughter and health and safety offences jointly with Health and Safety Executive (HSE).

TVP and HSE and remain committed to this challenging investigation. The dedicated team of investigators continue to work diligently to complete it and the results are clearly eagerly awaited by all involved, not least the families of those men who lost their lives. The size and complex nature of the investigation means it is impossible to provide any reliable timeline for completion.

Preliminary reports are not provided as part of a criminal investigation. HSE to date has not needed to issue a safety alert in relation to the partial collapse at Didcot. When appropriate, HSE has and will continue to undertake proactive communications around demolition to inform and educate industry without explicitly mentioning the ongoing Didcot investigation.


Written Question
Kickstart Scheme
Friday 21st May 2021

Asked by: Mike Penning (Conservative - Hemel Hempstead)

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment her Department has made of whether (a) the new KickStart Scheme gateway-plus companies are receiving a disproportionate allocation of the grant and (b) some sole traders have received no extra funding.

Answered by Mims Davies - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)

Sole traders are able to apply to offer jobs to young people through the Kickstart Scheme through a Gateway Plus. There are 4 organisations approved as a Gateway Plus – -

  • Adecco Working Ventures in Partnership with the Federation of Small Businesses
  • REED in partnership with the British Chambers of Commerce
  • Manpower Group
  • The Wirral Chamber of Commerce

The Gateway Plus is the employer of the young person participating in Kickstart and will ensure that the YP receives the additional support to improve their employability which is an essential part of the scheme. The young person will be placed with a host organisation linked to the Gateway plus for their six-month job – this is at no cost to the host organisation. Host organisations can include sole traders.

All Kickstart Jobs are subject to robust checking procedures. The checks we put in place when approving a Gateway Plus organisation ensure that any employer that the Gateway approves is subject to a level of checking and due diligence that DWP are satisfied with. These checks are part of the requirement of the Gateway Plus agreement.


Written Question
Kickstart Scheme: Sole Traders
Friday 21st May 2021

Asked by: Mike Penning (Conservative - Hemel Hempstead)

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether the Kickstart scheme allows applications from sole traders.

Answered by Mims Davies - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)

Sole traders are able to apply to offer jobs to young people through the Kickstart Scheme through a Gateway Plus. There are 4 organisations approved as a Gateway Plus – -

  • Adecco Working Ventures in Partnership with the Federation of Small Businesses
  • REED in partnership with the British Chambers of Commerce
  • Manpower Group
  • The Wirral Chamber of Commerce

The Gateway Plus is the employer of the young person participating in Kickstart and will ensure that the YP receives the additional support to improve their employability which is an essential part of the scheme. The young person will be placed with a host organisation linked to the Gateway plus for their six-month job – this is at no cost to the host organisation. Host organisations can include sole traders.

All Kickstart Jobs are subject to robust checking procedures. The checks we put in place when approving a Gateway Plus organisation ensure that any employer that the Gateway approves is subject to a level of checking and due diligence that DWP are satisfied with. These checks are part of the requirement of the Gateway Plus agreement.


Written Question
West Hertfordshire Hospitals NHS Trust: Coronavirus
Monday 1st March 2021

Asked by: Mike Penning (Conservative - Hemel Hempstead)

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment her Department has made of the level of compliance of West Hertfordshire Hospitals NHS Trust with the Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers covid-19 guidance on ventilation in buildings.

Answered by Mims Davies - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)

The Workplace (Health, Safety & Welfare) Regulations 1992, as amended, requires employers to ensure an adequate supply of fresh air in the workplace. In common with a lot of health and safety legislation, this is a goal setting requirement and therefore does not prescribe how to meet this duty.

As each workplace is different, it is the responsibility of the employer to determine how to achieve this requirement and implement the appropriate measures.

To assist employers the Health and Safety Executive updated their guidance on ventilation during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic in December 2020. The guidance provides simple ways to identify areas of the workplace that may be poorly ventilated and provides steps that can be taken to improve ventilation while maintaining a comfortable temperature. It refers those with complex ventilation system, to the Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers (CIBSE) website.

The CIBSE covid-19 guidance on ventilation in buildings.is a best practice guide primarily intended for application in non-domestic buildings and it specifically excludes health care and hospital buildings, advising that NHS and PHE guidance should be sought.

The relevant guidance for healthcare providers is contained in the Engineering Health Technical Memoranda best practice guidance published by the Department of Health and Social Care (Estates and Facilities Division). The documents give comprehensive advice and guidance to healthcare management, design engineers, estates managers and operations managers on the legal requirements, design implications and maintenance of specialised ventilation in all types of healthcare premises.


Written Question
Coronavirus: Ventilation
Wednesday 24th February 2021

Asked by: Mike Penning (Conservative - Hemel Hempstead)

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what guidance her Department has published on promoting good ventilation in places of work during the covid-19 outbreak.

Answered by Mims Davies - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)

HSE has played a key role in the development of cross-government Covid-secure guidelines for business. These focus on the practical measures that can be adopted to work safely during the pandemic. HSE has developed and published on its website a suite of guidance and information to complement cross-government guidance and provide additional information in relation to health and safety standards that would be expected.

The webpages provide advice to businesses on a range of topics, including how to complete a Covid-secure risk assessment and undertake worker engagement, in addition to more specific topics such as hygiene procedures and ventilation.

This content is reviewed and updated regularly to reflect developing scientific evidence and understanding. As a result of this review HSE expanded and updated guidance on ventilation during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic in December 2020 and is continuing to review following feedback and further knowledge and understanding and is updated as necessary.

The guidance provides businesses with simple ways to identify areas of the workplace that may be poorly ventilated and provides steps that can be taken to improve ventilation while maintaining a comfortable temperature.