Asked by: Nick Smith (Labour - Blaenau Gwent and Rhymney)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what guidance his Department plans to issue to businesses in the beauty sector on health and safety standards in relation to the covid-19 outbreak.
Answered by Paul Scully
My Rt. Hon. Friend the Prime Minister set out a roadmap to get the UK back to work in his speech on 11 May. Hairdressers and other beauty businesses remain closed in this phase because the risk of transmission in these environments is higher due to the indoor environment and closer physical contact. The ambition is to reopen these businesses as part of Step 3 of the roadmap and we will work with the beauty sector ahead of that to ensure that that the guidance supports hairdressers to work safely.
This will add to the guidance already published by the Government which was developed with industry, unions, local government, Public Health England and the Health and Safety Executive to support businesses that have been allowed to open during the pandemic.
Asked by: Nick Smith (Labour - Blaenau Gwent and Rhymney)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps he is taking to help ensure that workers in the beauty sector receive adequate supplies of personal protective equipment in order to re-open businesses.
Answered by Paul Scully
We continue to work with stakeholders on developing sensible guidance for businesses that will give UK workers the utmost confidence on their return to work.? We will now focus on sectors, such as the personal care sector, that are not currently open to help them plan for when they can open.
The needs of staff in non-health and non-care settings are covered in the United Kingdom-wide Personal Protective Equipment Plan published on 10 April 2020. This provides clear guidance on who needs Personal Protective Equipment and in what circumstances they need to use it, and how sufficient supplies will be secured to manage the response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The plan can be accessed on the following link:
www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-personal-protective-equipment-ppe-plan.
Asked by: Nick Smith (Labour - Blaenau Gwent and Rhymney)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what quantity of (a) hot-rolled steel, (b) steel pipe and tubes and (c) total steel and steel products was procured from UK steel manufacturers by government departments in 2019.
Answered by Nadhim Zahawi
This Government is committed to supporting the UK steel industry.
The Department collates information from across Government where large amounts of steel are procured, including information about steel spend and origin, where known. This information is published annually at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/steel-public-procurement
Asked by: Nick Smith (Labour - Blaenau Gwent and Rhymney)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, with reference to the Answer of 5 November 2019 to Question 8232, when the proposals for the long-term protection of Mineworkers’ Pension Scheme bonuses will be implemented in full.
Answered by Kwasi Kwarteng
Officials are working with the Trustees on implementing the proposals. This requires changes to the Scheme Rules which are being drafted by the Trustees’ lawyers. Further updates will be provided in due course.
Asked by: Nick Smith (Labour - Blaenau Gwent and Rhymney)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to the Answer of 30 October 2019 to Question 5421, whether proposals for the long-term protection of pension bonuses for members of the Mineworkers' Pension Scheme have been formally accepted.
Answered by Kwasi Kwarteng
I have written to the Trustees of the Mineworkers’ Pension Scheme to confirm that the Government will agree to their proposals in full. This includes providing a guarantee for pensions that have accrued that could otherwise have been lost. I have instructed BEIS officials to work with the Trustees to implement the changes as swiftly as possible.
Asked by: Nick Smith (Labour - Blaenau Gwent and Rhymney)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if she will publish the individual benefits paid to Mineworkers' Pension Scheme members by the Government from surplus receipts.
Answered by Kwasi Kwarteng
It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.