Asked by: Juliet Campbell (Labour - Broxtowe)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will have discussions with the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care on the potential merits of banning silica.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
There are no plans to discuss the merits of banning silica as it is a naturally occurring material found in sand, glass, and many rocks and minerals.
Great Britain has a well-established regulatory framework under the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health (COSHH) Regulations 2002 (as amended), which already requires employers to prevent exposure to Respirable Crystalline Silica (RCS) to protect workers’ health.
Asked by: Juliet Campbell (Labour - Broxtowe)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate his Department has made of the number of pensioners who are affected by the absence of statutory indexation on pre-1997 contributions in Broxtowe constituency; and what assessment his Department has made of the potential financial impact of this on pensioners in Broxtowe.
Answered by Torsten Bell - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Pensions Regulator has published data which shows that as of March 2023, only 17 per cent of members of private sector defined benefit pension schemes do not receive any pre-1997 indexation. This is available at: https://www.thepensionsregulator.gov.uk/en/document-library/research-and-analysis/data-requests#f3a5fe60511a445f91112bd7dd8a64ae
The Department and the Pensions Regulator do not hold this information at a constituency level.
Asked by: Juliet Campbell (Labour - Broxtowe)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of banning silica.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The merits of banning silica have not been considered as it is a naturally occurring material found in sand, glass, and many rocks and minerals.
Great Britain has a well-established regulatory framework under the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health (COSHH) Regulations 2002 (as amended), which already require employers to prevent exposure to Respirable Crystalline Silica (RCS) to protect workers’ health.