Asked by: Layla Moran (Liberal Democrat - Oxford West and Abingdon)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the timetable is for the publication of the white paper on the plumbers’ pension scheme.
Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Government published a detailed White Paper on Defined Benefit pensions on 23 March 2018. This included a discussion on issues facing multi-employer schemes like the plumbers’ pension scheme. Chapter 4 of this White Paper: ‘Protecting defined benefit pensions’ sets out the government’s position on employer debt and is available on the government website at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/protecting-defined-benefit-pension-schemes
Asked by: Layla Moran (Liberal Democrat - Oxford West and Abingdon)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether rights under the UN Convention on Rights of Disabled People will continue to have primacy in UK law after the UK leaves the EU.
Answered by Justin Tomlinson - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The UK’s decision to leave the European Union does not change its commitment to ensuring the rights and liberties of disabled people are protected domestically and to fulfilling its international obligations. The UK Government ratified the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in 2009 and remains committed to the Convention and to the progressive realisation of the rights for disabled people that it sets out.
Asked by: Layla Moran (Liberal Democrat - Oxford West and Abingdon)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether a comprehensive consultation process (a) has or (b) will take place with disabled people and their representative groups, as required under Article 4.3 the UN Convention on Rights of Disabled People (UNCRDP), before any change in the status of the UNCRPD in UK law.
Answered by Justin Tomlinson - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The UK Government ratified the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in 2009 and remains committed to the Convention and to the progressive realisation of the rights for disabled people that it sets out. The UK will remain a signatory to the UNCRPD.
The UK is committed to engaging with disabled people and their organisations. We have clear consultation guidelines that set out how Government should consider, in full, the impact of all proposals and ensure access to consultations.
Asked by: Layla Moran (Liberal Democrat - Oxford West and Abingdon)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many ESA65B letters her Department has sent to GPs in 2018.
Answered by Justin Tomlinson - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The ESA65B letter is sent to GPs when an Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) claimant has been found fit for work following a Work Capability Assessment (WCA), to inform them of the outcome of the WCA and advise them that fit notes are no longer required for ESA purposes.
The ESA65B is computer generated and the action of sending it out is a ‘business as usual’ process. As a result, we do not hold the information required to calculate the number of staff used to issue this type of letter.
Furthermore, due to the volumes of different letters issued by the Department to claimants and third parties, we are unable to provide a figure for how many ESA65B letters were sent to GPs in 2018.
Asked by: Layla Moran (Liberal Democrat - Oxford West and Abingdon)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate she has made of the cost to the public purse of her Department posting ESA65B letters to GPs in 2018.
Answered by Justin Tomlinson - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The ESA65B letter is sent to GPs when an Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) claimant has been found fit for work following a Work Capability Assessment (WCA), to inform them of the outcome of the WCA and advise them that fit notes are no longer required for ESA purposes.
The ESA65B is computer generated and the action of sending it out is a ‘business as usual’ process. As a result, we do not hold the information required to calculate the number of staff used to issue this type of letter.
Furthermore, due to the volumes of different letters issued by the Department to claimants and third parties, we are unable to provide a figure for how many ESA65B letters were sent to GPs in 2018.
Asked by: Layla Moran (Liberal Democrat - Oxford West and Abingdon)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate she has made of the number of staff hours that were used by her Department to issue ESA65B letters to GPs in 2018.
Answered by Justin Tomlinson - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The ESA65B letter is sent to GPs when an Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) claimant has been found fit for work following a Work Capability Assessment (WCA), to inform them of the outcome of the WCA and advise them that fit notes are no longer required for ESA purposes.
The ESA65B is computer generated and the action of sending it out is a ‘business as usual’ process. As a result, we do not hold the information required to calculate the number of staff used to issue this type of letter.
Furthermore, due to the volumes of different letters issued by the Department to claimants and third parties, we are unable to provide a figure for how many ESA65B letters were sent to GPs in 2018.
Asked by: Layla Moran (Liberal Democrat - Oxford West and Abingdon)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what discussions he has had with stakeholders on the safe storage of chlorine gas after the UK leaves the EU.
Answered by Sarah Newton
The Government has made clear that health and safety requirements are not affected by the UK’s exit from the EU. The same requirements and duties will apply on the day of exit as applied the day before.
Storage of chlorine gas under 10 tonnes is controlled by health and safety regulations. However, if the quantity is over 10 tonnes, storage is controlled by the Control of Major Accident Hazards (COMAH) Regulations 2015. These regulations will continue to apply following the UK’s exit from the EU. The COMAH Regulations put specific duties on businesses to ensure that highly dangerous substances such as chlorine are handled, stored and managed safely to reduce the risk of major accidents impacting people or the environment. The Health and Safety Executive has been providing specific advice to individual stakeholders on the storage of hazardous substances.
Asked by: Layla Moran (Liberal Democrat - Oxford West and Abingdon)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what contingency plans she has put in place to ensure the safe storage of chlorine gas after the UK leaves the EU.
Answered by Sarah Newton
The Government has made clear that health and safety requirements are not affected by the UK’s exit from the EU. The same requirements and duties will apply on the day of exit as applied the day before.
Storage of chlorine gas under 10 tonnes is controlled by health and safety regulations. However, if the quantity is over 10 tonnes, storage is controlled by the Control of Major Accident Hazards (COMAH) Regulations 2015. These regulations will continue to apply following the UK’s exit from the EU. The COMAH Regulations put specific duties on businesses to ensure that highly dangerous substances such as chlorine are handled, stored and managed safely to reduce the risk of major accidents impacting people or the environment. The Health and Safety Executive has been providing specific advice to individual stakeholders on the storage of hazardous substances.
Asked by: Layla Moran (Liberal Democrat - Oxford West and Abingdon)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how much public funding the Health and Safety Executive (a) received in each of the last 10 years and (b) is forecast to receive in 2019-20.
Answered by Sarah Newton
2009/10 | 2010/11 | 2011/12 | 2012/13 | 2013/14 | 2014/15 | 2015/16 | 2016/17 | 2017/18 | 2018/19 - forecast |
£m | £m | £m | £m | £m | £m | £m | £m | £m | £m |
228 | 203 | 175 | 159 | 154 | 138 | 134 | 133 | 128 | 123 |
Figures provided are based on net operating expenditure reported in HSE’s Annual Report and Accounts and excludes Capital spend.
HSE’s funding for 2019/20 is not yet agreed as DWP (HSE’s sponsor department) are still in the process of finalising budgets.
Asked by: Layla Moran (Liberal Democrat - Oxford West and Abingdon)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many health and safety concerns were reported by (a) workers and (b) members of the public to the Health and Safety Executive; and how many were investigated by inspectors in each of the last 10 years.
Answered by Sarah Newton
Please see attached tables showing concerns raised by workers and members of the public and concerns investigated by Inspectors.