Asked by: Tom Blenkinsop (Labour - Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 12 September 2016 to Question 44288, how many of these incidents led to fatalities.
Answered by Penny Mordaunt - Lord President of the Council and Leader of the House of Commons
There have been three incidents leading to fatalities.
Asked by: Tom Blenkinsop (Labour - Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what meetings he has had with Ministers of the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy on the British Steel Pension Scheme.
Answered by Lord Harrington of Watford
Officials from both departments maintain regular contact on this issue.
So far, the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions has had one meeting with Ministers of the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy to discuss the British Steel Pensions Scheme, and future meetings are planned.
Asked by: Tom Blenkinsop (Labour - Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 7 September 2016 to Question 44365, what assessment the Health and Safety Executive has made on the effect of long shift patterns on the incidence of (a) errors, (b) accidents and (c) injuries in (i) all sectors of the workforce and (ii) the mining industry.
Answered by Penny Mordaunt - Lord President of the Council and Leader of the House of Commons
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) does not hold this information. However, HSE recognises that poorly designed shift-working arrangements and long working hours can result in fatigue, accidents, injuries and ill health and has produced guidance for employers on designing and implementing shift-working arrangements:
(http://www.hse.gov.uk/humanfactors/topics/fatigue.htm).
Asked by: Tom Blenkinsop (Labour - Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many accidents have occurred in mines in each of the last five years.
Answered by Penny Mordaunt - Lord President of the Council and Leader of the House of Commons
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) operational data is derived from reports made under duties contained in the Reporting of Injuries and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 2013 (RIDDOR) (and earlier versions). It is as follows:
Year | No. of reported injuries in underground mines in Great Britain* ** |
1 April 2011 – 31 March 2012 | 204 |
1 April 2012 – 31 March 2013 | 146 |
1 April 2013 – 31 March 2014 | 114 |
1 April 2014 – 31 March 2015 | 75 |
1 April 2015 – 31 March 2016 | 52 |
1 April 2016 – 31 August 2016 | 21 |
* A key change to RIDDOR occurred in April 2012, ie the threshold for reporting of those injuries to workers which result in the person being incapacitated for more than three days changed to over seven days.
** It should be noted that the reducing trend is, in part, due to the reduction in the number of large working mines in recent years.
Asked by: Tom Blenkinsop (Labour - Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what representations he has received on the recent fatalities at the Boulby Potash mine; and whether his Department has made an assessment of the need to take any such action in respect of those fatalities.
Answered by Penny Mordaunt - Lord President of the Council and Leader of the House of Commons
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has received one representation on recent incidents, from the hon. Member for Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland. HSE has carried out a variety of interventions with the operators of Boulby mine, ranging from the serving of Prohibition Notices to a detailed assessment of their safety and competency management systems. HSE is reviewing the circumstances of a number of recent incidents with a view to taking further enforcement action if appropriate.
Asked by: Tom Blenkinsop (Labour - Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department is taking to help prevent accidents in the mining industry.
Answered by Penny Mordaunt - Lord President of the Council and Leader of the House of Commons
The Mines Regulations 2014 replaced all previous legislation relating to health and safety in mines. They provide a comprehensive and simple goal-setting legal framework to ensure that mine operators provide all the necessary protection for mineworkers and others from the inherent hazards in mining.
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) targets interventions with the underground mining dutyholders and a mine’s past safety and health performance is taken into account when deciding on the detail of specific interventions.
HSE investigates reported accidents in mines in line with the criteria set out in its Incident Selection Criteria. Investigations focus on determining both the immediate and underlying causes in order to prevent recurrence. HSE also make recommendations for improved methods of work and systems for the wider industry if necessary and holds dutyholders to account through proportional enforcement where appropriate.
Asked by: Tom Blenkinsop (Labour - Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will make financial support available to improve health and safety (a) at Boulby Potash mine and (b) in the mining industry.
Answered by Penny Mordaunt - Lord President of the Council and Leader of the House of Commons
The Government does not provide individual businesses or the mining industry with financial support to help them meet their health and safety duties. Protection of employees, or others who may be affected by work activities, is the responsibility of those who create the health and safety risks. The Health and Safety Executive’s programme of work for the mines industry is described further on its website (http://www.hse.gov.uk/mining/programme.htm).
Asked by: Tom Blenkinsop (Labour - Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what information his Department holds on the number of health and safety incidents which have taken place in the mining industry when employees were working on shift patterns of more than (a) eight, (b) 10 and (c) 12 hours.
Answered by Penny Mordaunt - Lord President of the Council and Leader of the House of Commons
The Health and Safety Executive does not hold such information.
Asked by: Tom Blenkinsop (Labour - Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what information his Department holds on the relationship between staffing levels and health and safety incidents in mines.
Answered by Penny Mordaunt - Lord President of the Council and Leader of the House of Commons
During its interventions, HSE assesses how dutyholders provide for and manage the provision of safety-critical competence at mines. This includes assessing whether staff with responsibility for safety-critical tasks are sufficiently experienced and resourced.
Asked by: Tom Blenkinsop (Labour - Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what change there has been in the proportion of (a) pensioners and (b) children living in low income households in the North East of England in the last 12 months.
Answered by Priti Patel
Estimates of (a) pensioners and (b) children living in low income households in the North East of England are published in the National Statistics Households Below Average Income (HBAI) series. These are calculated on a three-year average basis as single year estimates are too volatile from year to year.
In the North East, the proportion of pensioners with incomes below 60% of median equivalised income, After Housing Costs, rose by 1ppt to 13% between 2011/12 – 2013/14 and 2012/13 – 2014/15, while the proportion of children with incomes below 60% of median equivalised income, Before Housing Costs, rose by 1ppt to 19% between 2011/12 – 2013/14 and 2012/13 – 2014/15.
The government has also set out a new life chances approach that will include a set of indicators to measure progress in tackling the root causes of poverty such as worklessness, educational attainment and family stability.