Asked by: Naz Shah (Labour - Bradford West)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment the Health and Safety Executive has made of the potential risks associated with chemical exposure in upholstery workshops, including chemicals found in foam and treated fabrics.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has recognised the risks to textile workers who routinely handle finished fabrics, including those treated with fire-resistant finishes. HSE have produced a specific guidance page on their website which covers both the initial manufacture and any secondary processing of finished fabrics (such as upholstery). The guidance page can be found here: https://www.hse.gov.uk/textiles/fabric-finishes.htm
The Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002 (COSHH) outline specific duties on employers to protect workers from harmful substances, such as foams and flame retardants, which may be contained in soft furnishings such as mattresses and sofas. HSE provides practical advice and guidance on the basics of COSHH, completing COSHH assessments and links to industry specific information and guidance to prevent and control workplace exposure to harmful substances at Control of Substances Hazardous to Health (COSHH) - HSE
Asked by: Naz Shah (Labour - Bradford West)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many inspections of upholstery and furniture workshops have been carried out by the Health and Safety Executive in each of the last five years.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Between 2019 and the present date, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) have inspected 2104 premises whose primary business includes the manufacture of office and shop furniture, kitchen furniture, mattresses and other furniture (based on the Standard Industry Classification (SIC)).
The breakdown by year is as follows:
Year | Number of Inspections |
2019/20 | 304 |
2020/21 | 145 |
2021/22 | 192 |
2022/23 | 419 |
2023/24 | 627 |
2024/25 | 319 |
2025 to date | 98 |
Asked by: Naz Shah (Labour - Bradford West)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what support is available for workers who have been exposed to hazardous chemicals in upholstery and furniture manufacturing.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Government offers a range of financial support for individuals whose health has been adversely affected by exposure to hazardous chemicals in the workplace.
Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit is a non-contributory, non-means-tested benefit paid to those who become disabled because of a workplace accident or certain prescribed industrial diseases. The amount of benefit awarded depends on the level of disablement, which is assessed by an independent medical professional. In some cases, additional allowances may also be available, depending on individual circumstances.
Those who are unable to work due to illness or disability may be able to claim Employment and Support Allowance (ESA). Eligibility is dependent on satisfying the basic conditions of entitlement and contribution conditions. Where appropriate, individuals may claim Universal Credit which provides financial support for people on low incomes or who are unable to work because of a health condition.
Personal Independence Payment (PIP) can provide help towards the extra costs arising from a long-term health condition or disability for working-aged people. Entitlement to PIP focuses on the functional impacts of a person’s health condition or disability on their daily life and is assessed on the basis of needs arising and not on the condition itself.
Asked by: Naz Shah (Labour - Bradford West)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether she will suspend all benefit debt deductions during the winter months with immediate effect.
Answered by Will Quince
DWP and HMRC currently have no plans to suspend benefit debt deductions.
There are established support processes in place for any claimants who may be experiencing financial difficulty.
Anyone unable to afford a rate of recovery proposed by DWP is encouraged to contact them so an affordable rate of repayment can be negotiated.
Anyone unable to afford a rate of recovery proposed by HMRC is encouraged to check the HMRC webpages, or contact them to see what support they can offer.
Asked by: Naz Shah (Labour - Bradford West)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
What recent assessment her Department has made of trends in the level of child poverty.
Answered by Will Quince
The recent welfare changes ensure people receive the support they need in these difficult times. But we know that a child in a household where every adult is working is about 4 times less likely to be in poverty than a child in a household where nobody works. That is why we are focusing on how to support people back into work, following the outbreak.
Asked by: Naz Shah (Labour - Bradford West)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many staff in her Department reported their religion as Islam in the latest period for which figures are available; what the reported ethnicity of those staff was; and how many of those staff were employed at each grade.
Answered by Mims Davies - Shadow Minister (Women)
The Civil Service Workforce Plan 2016-2020 set out the ambition for the Civil Service to become the most inclusive employer in the UK. We are already working towards this ambition and are embedding the commitments within Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy: A Brilliant Civil Service: becoming the UK’s most inclusive employer, within our day-to-day working practices with all our customers, colleagues and partners. This includes a commitment to focus on faith and belief as part of our wider approach to inclusion.
DWP encourages all of its employees to provide details of their personal diversity information, however this action is voluntary and therefore we do not hold a complete picture of our workforce representation.
As at 30 September 2019, 46.2% of our workforce have positively shared their religious belief information, and 83.7% have shared information on their ethnicity. Due to the different reporting levels caution should be taken when drawing conclusions from this data.
Information has been provided using the 2011 Census in England and Wales 5 broad categories commonly referred to as ONS 5+1 (2011)
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Number of Muslims by Ethnicity Category and Grade as at 30 September 2019 |
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Ethnicity Category | A/AA | B/AO | C/EO | D/HEO | E/SEO | F/G7 | G/G6 | SCS | Grand Total | ||
Asian/Asian British | 6 | 583 | 685 | 79 | 25 | 11 | * | * | 1395 | ||
Black African/Caribbean/Black British |
| 15 | 27 | * | * |
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| 45 | ||
Mixed/Multiple Ethnic Group |
| 13 | 18 | * | * |
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| 36 | ||
Other Ethnic Group |
| 9 | 14 | 5 | * |
| * |
| 32 | ||
Prefer not to say | * | 14 | 28 | * |
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| 44 | ||
White |
| 8 | 19 | * | * | * |
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| 34 | ||
Not Recorded |
| 35 | 41 | * |
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| 78 | ||
Grand Total | * | 677 | 832 | 96 | 33 | * | 5 | * | 1664 | ||
* in line with Office of National Statistics guidance, the data has been suppressed where less than 5 people have contributed a response.