Asked by: George Howarth (Labour - Knowsley)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what plans she has to strengthen protections for mental health at work under health and safety legislation.
Answered by Justin Tomlinson
In October 2017, the Prime Minister welcomed and accepted the recommendations of the Thriving at Work: The Stevenson / Farmer review of mental health and employers. This recognised that employers should develop a comprehensive approach to managing mental health that includes implementing activity on preventing mental ill health caused by work, promoting good mental health in the workplace and supporting individuals who experience poor mental health. Actions to implement this comprehensive approach are described within the mental health standards developed by the reviewers and accepted by Government.
Existing duties under the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 contribute by requiring employers to put in place measures to prevent causes of work-related mental ill health. Specifically, the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 require employers to undertake a risk assessment and act on that assessment by removing or putting in place reasonable steps to control the causes of work-related mental ill health. Additionally, under the Health and Safety (First Aid) Regulations 1981, employers have a responsibility to consider the mental health needs of their staff as part of their ‘first aid needs assessment’ and decide on what support is necessary. This assessment enables employers to put in place measures that will directly respond to their employee needs and allows businesses flexibility where those needs may change. Supporting individuals in distress until professional help arrives is an important feature of any first aid event regardless of its nature. It is a key component in the first aid syllabus contained in the regulations and meets the NHS recommended approach for assisting an individual who is experiencing a mental health crisis.
Government is committed to working with key stakeholders, public, private and voluntary sectors to ensure that employers of all sizes implement the mental health standards, comply with their legal duties and realise the benefit of healthy inclusive workplaces.
Asked by: George Howarth (Labour - Knowsley)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps her Department is taking to implement the six core standards for workplaces as set out in the Government’s thriving at work report; and if she will make a statement.
Answered by Justin Tomlinson
In November 2017, the joint DWP/DHSC Work and Health Unit (WHU) published Improving Lives: the Future of Work, Health and Disability setting out our response to Thriving at Work and WHU is now overseeing progress across 40 recommendations. The Civil Service is committed to being a leading employer and implementing the core and enhanced mental health standards to deliver lasting cultural change. All main government departments have benchmarked themselves against the mental health standards to identify best practice and areas requiring further action, and every Civil Service Permanent Secretary now has a performance objective directly related to implementing the standards and Civil Service Wellbeing Confident Leaders training is being rolled out to senior leaders.
One of the review’s recommendations was about transparency as a significant opportunity to encourage cultural change around mental health. We have worked with partners, including employers, to develop a framework to support organisations to record and voluntarily report information on disability and mental health in the workplace. This framework was published on 22nd November 2018 and is aimed at large employers with 250 or more employees. The WHU is an active member of the Thriving at Work Leadership Council consisting of a range of business and public sector representatives, and leading trade associations. The council is an employer led group that will continue to meet throughout 2019 with the primary objectives to champion the mental health standards and explore innovative solutions to further drive their implementation and adoption. Individual members committed to promoting the standards through their networks and to create sector champions.
Asked by: George Howarth (Labour - Knowsley)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, (a) when and (b) with which countries her Department last signed reciprocal agreements on the uprating of pensions of UK residents overseas.
Answered by Guy Opperman
The UK last signed a reciprocal social security agreement with Ireland on 1 February 2019 to preserve the rights established through the Common Travel Area arrangements and currently facilitated by EU law. The agreement includes the uprating of pensions for UK and Irish nationals living and/or working in each other’s state once the UK leaves the EU.
Asked by: George Howarth (Labour - Knowsley)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, when her Department last held discussions with officials in the Government of (a) Australia, (b) Canada and (c) New Zealand on the establishment of reciprocal agreements in relation to the uprating of pensions of UK residents in those countries; and if she will make a statement.
Answered by Guy Opperman
The Government has no plans to hold discussions on uprating pensions with officials from the governments of Australia, Canada or New Zealand and no recent discussions have occurred.
Asked by: George Howarth (Labour - Knowsley)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether the Government plans to maintain annual increases to pensions of UK citizens residing in the Republic of Ireland in the event that the UK leaves the EU without a deal.
Answered by Guy Opperman
The UK and Ireland have signed a reciprocal agreement which will protect the social security rights of UK and Irish nationals living and/or working in each other’s state when the UK leaves the EU. The agreement, at the link below, allows for the payment of uprated state pensions to recipients living in Ireland.
http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2019/622/pdfs/uksi_20190622_en.pdf
Asked by: George Howarth (Labour - Knowsley)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will place a copy of the reciprocal agreement covering pensions with the Philippines in the House of Commons Library.
Answered by Guy Opperman
Current versions of the United Kingdom’s reciprocal social security agreements are already publicly available on the Legislation.gov.uk website. The 1989 convention on social security between the Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the Government of the Republic of the Philippines is available at: http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/1989/2002/contents. However, a copy will be placed in the House of Commons Library as requested.