Asked by: Andy McDonald (Labour - Middlesbrough)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the oral contribution of the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy of 27 April 2021, Official Report, column 86WH, on the Government's policy on the inappropriate use by some employers of fire and rehire as a negotiation tactic, what steps their Department has taken to (a) investigate and (b) discourage the use of fire and rehire negotiation tactics by their Department's executive non-departmental public bodies; and what steps they have taken to communicate the Government's policy on those practices to those bodies.
Answered by Edward Argar - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
There is no scope within the human resources policies of the Department’s executive non-departmental public bodies to allow ‘fire and rehire’ as a negotiating tactic. The legally permitted reasons for dismissal and the relevant process must be followed, in line with ACAS guidelines.
Asked by: Andy McDonald (Labour - Middlesbrough)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answers of 26 February 2021 to Questions 155053, 155054 and 160680, what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions on the prevalence of long covid; and whether there is a credible risk that (a) fatal injury and (b) an injury that results in a permanent or irreversible disabling condition or requires immediate treatment in hospital as a result of exposure to covid-19 could occur.
Answered by Nadine Dorries
No such discussions with the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions have taken place to date. However, research into the long-term health symptoms and impacts of COVID-19 is ongoing and we continue to collaborate across Government to monitor emerging evidence including statistics on the prevalence of ‘long’ COVID-19.
The Department has not made an assessment of ‘credible risk’ as defined by the Health and Safety Executive’s Enforcement Management Model.