Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps the Government is taking to issue guidance to (a) employers and (b) employees on the application of section 44 of the Employment Relations Act (1996) during the covid-19 outbreak.

Under the law, employers are responsible for health and safety management and should take the necessary steps to ensure safe workplaces. During the Covid-19 crisis, the Government has worked with a wide range of businesses, trade unions and representative organisations to issue guidance on safe return to work.? Public Health England and the Health and Safety Executive have also issued guidance on how to ensure social distancing and hygiene measures in the workplace.

In line with employment and health and safety law, this guidance sets out that where employees have health and safety concerns, they should raise this with their employee representative, trade union, or the Health & Safety Executive.

Before restarting work employers should ensure the safety of the workplace by:

• carrying out a risk assessment in line with the HSE guidance
• consulting with their workers or trade unions
• sharing the results of the risk assessment with their workforce and, if possible, publishing on their website

Where?HSE?identifies?employers?who are not taking action to comply with the relevant PHE guidance to control public health risks they will consider taking a range of enforcement action.?The Government recently announced an additional £14 million of funding for HSE to support this work.