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Written Question
Protective Clothing: Safety
Tuesday 26th March 2024

Asked by: Emma Hardy (Labour - Kingston upon Hull West and Hessle)

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many investigations into (a) all and (b) ill-fitting personal protective equipment the Health and Safety Executive has undertaken in each year since 2018.

Answered by Paul Maynard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) does not categorise investigations by breach and is unable to provide a breakdown of investigations by breaches of specific regulations.


Written Question
NHS: Radiation
Tuesday 19th December 2023

Asked by: Emma Hardy (Labour - Kingston upon Hull West and Hessle)

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what information his Department holds on the incidence of cancer in NHS staff exposed to radiation as part of their duties.

Answered by Paul Maynard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)

We do not hold information on the incidence of cancer in NHS staff working with radiation as part of their duties. Exposure to ionising radiation is acknowledged as increasing the risk of developing cancers, and the UK has robust arrangements in place for protecting against the health risks. Because cancer is unfortunately a common disease with many causes, it is extremely difficult to measure directly the minimal contribution from ionising radiation when the doses are very low, such as for workers and members of the public.


Written Question
NHS: Radiation
Tuesday 19th December 2023

Asked by: Emma Hardy (Labour - Kingston upon Hull West and Hessle)

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of protection for NHS staff exposed to radiation as part of their duties.

Answered by Paul Maynard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)

There is a robust regulatory framework for protecting NHS staff from workplace exposure to ionising radiation, which is enforced by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE). The Ionising Radiations Regulations 2017 place detailed duties on employers to control exposure to ionising radiation, within a general duty on all employers to assess and control risks to their workers under the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 and the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974.


Written Question
Self-employed: Training
Thursday 7th September 2023

Asked by: Emma Hardy (Labour - Kingston upon Hull West and Hessle)

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department is taking to help support self-employed people with the cost of work-related training.

Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

Claimants who have been assessed as “gainfully self-employed”, whose self-employment is their main source of earnings and is regular, organised, developed and in pursuit of profit are supported by an enhanced self-employment work coach for up to 12 months when they become self-employed for the first time. Their work coach can sign-post them to free external sources of advice and training where this is available to help them develop their business. This includes Local Enterprise Partnership Growth Hubs which are funded by the Department of Business and Trade.

Claimants who have self-employed earnings but who have been assessed as “not gainfully self-employed” can receive support to develop their self-employment through DWP’s contracted employment programmes if they meet the relevant eligibility criteria.

The Department for Work and Pension’s Flexible Support Fund can also be used to pay for training for claimants, including those who are self-employed, in certain circumstances.


Written Question
Access to Work Programme: Standards
Monday 19th June 2023

Asked by: Emma Hardy (Labour - Kingston upon Hull West and Hessle)

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many applications made to the Access to Work Scheme are outstanding as of 14 June 2023.

Answered by Tom Pursglove - Minister of State (Minister for Legal Migration and Delivery)

The Department's Access to Work Scheme had 23,063 applications outstanding as of 14 June 2023.

Please note that the data supplied is derived from unpublished management information, which was collected for internal Departmental use only, and have not been quality assured to National Statistics or Official Statistics publication standard. They should therefore be treated with caution.


Written Question
Social Security Benefits: Telephone Services
Thursday 25th May 2023

Asked by: Emma Hardy (Labour - Kingston upon Hull West and Hessle)

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of wait times for the Disability Service Centre helpline on arthritis sufferers.

Answered by Tom Pursglove - Minister of State (Minister for Legal Migration and Delivery)

We are currently experiencing higher than forecast call volumes to the Disability Services telephony enquiry lines. We have recruited additional staff onto our telephony teams and have on-going recruitment to further increase resources. However, the department is unable to make a specific assessment of the impact of wait times in respect of arthritis sufferers.


Written Question
Health and Safety
Monday 17th April 2023

Asked by: Emma Hardy (Labour - Kingston upon Hull West and Hessle)

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether it is his Department's policy to maintain the protection provided by (i) the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations (ii) the Display Screen Equipment Regulations (iii) The Manual Handling Operations Regulations (iv) The Personal Protective Equipment at Work Regulations (v) The Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations (vi) The Workplace Health, Safety and Welfare Regulations following the UK's exit from the EU.

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

With the introduction of the REUL Bill, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) remains focused on ensuring that regulatory frameworks maintain the United Kingdom’s high standards of health and safety protection and continue to reduce burdens for business. HSE’s approach aligns closely with the Government’s pledge to do more for business to help promote growth by removing disproportionate burdens and simplifying the regulatory landscape. Our standards of health and safety protections are among the highest in the world.

HSE will continue to review its retained EU Law to seek opportunities to reduce business burdens and promote growth without reducing health and safety standards. HSE will engage with stakeholders as appropriate.


Written Question
Health and Safety (Consultation with Employees) Regulations 1996
Monday 17th April 2023

Asked by: Emma Hardy (Labour - Kingston upon Hull West and Hessle)

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether it is his Department's policy to maintain the protections provided by the Health and Safety (Consultation with Employees) Regulations 1996 (S.I. 1996/1513) following the UK's exit from the EU; and if his Department will meet with industry representatives to discuss this matter.

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

With the introduction of the REUL Bill, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) remains focused on ensuring that regulatory frameworks maintain the United Kingdom’s high standards of health and safety protection and continue to reduce burdens for business. HSE’s approach aligns closely with the Government’s pledge to do more for business to help promote growth by removing disproportionate burdens and simplifying the regulatory landscape. Our standards of health and safety protections are among the highest in the world.

HSE will continue to review its retained EU Law to seek opportunities to reduce business burdens and promote growth without reducing health and safety standards. HSE will engage with stakeholders as appropriate.


Written Question
Health and Safety (Display Screen Equipment) Regulations 1992
Monday 17th April 2023

Asked by: Emma Hardy (Labour - Kingston upon Hull West and Hessle)

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if his Department will meet with industry representatives to discuss the potential merits of retaining the protections provided by the Health and Safety (Display Screen Equipment) Regulations 1992 (S.I. 1992/2792) following the UK's exit from the EU.

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

With the introduction of the REUL Bill, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) remains focused on ensuring that regulatory frameworks maintain the United Kingdom’s high standards of health and safety protection and continue to reduce burdens for business. HSE’s approach aligns closely with the Government’s pledge to do more for business to help promote growth by removing disproportionate burdens and simplifying the regulatory landscape. Our standards of health and safety protections are among the highest in the world.

HSE will continue to review its retained EU Law to seek opportunities to reduce business burdens and promote growth without reducing health and safety standards. HSE will engage with stakeholders as appropriate.


Written Question
Personal Care Services: Health and Safety
Monday 17th April 2023

Asked by: Emma Hardy (Labour - Kingston upon Hull West and Hessle)

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the potential adequacy of current health and safety regulations for (a) practice and (b) training in the beauty industry.

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

The Health and Safety at Work Act and associated regulations provide an effective framework for securing the health, safety and welfare of those working in beauty industry.

Under health and safety legislation, employers and the self-employed providing beauty treatments are required to identify risks to workers and others from their work activities and take action to manage those risks. In addition, employers are required to take into account the health and safety capabilities of their employees when entrusting them with tasks and ensure that they receive adequate health and safety training. Employers are also required to provide their employees with clear, relevant information on risks to their health and safety and the use of preventive and protective measures.