Asked by: Baroness Smith of Basildon (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask His Majesty's Government what guidance has been issued to the film and television industry regarding the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974.
Answered by Viscount Younger of Leckie - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
Work in the film and television industry is covered under the general requirements of the Health and Safety etc. Act 1974 and associated regulations. However, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) also provides extensive guidance on common or higher risk activities encountered across multiple industries which may be applicable to activities within film and television production, e.g. working at height or managing asbestos (when filming on location).
HSE also provides a range of guidance which is specific to film and television industry that describes the various roles and responsibilities of those within the production process (INDG360: Health and safety in audio-visual production. Your legal duties) and information sheets for specific production activities and risks, e.g. stunts, use of firearms and filming while using vehicles.
All guidance and information are freely available on the HSE website, a section of which is dedicated to health and safety in the film, theatre and broadcasting industries.
Alongside this, industry specific guidance is also available from a range of industry bodies and stakeholders.
Asked by: Baroness Smith of Basildon (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the application of health and safety legislation to those who work freelance and as contractors.
Answered by Viscount Younger of Leckie - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
Under health and safety law, employers have a responsibility to protect workers and others from risk to their health and safety, including those who work freelance or as contractors.
Asked by: Baroness Smith of Basildon (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask His Majesty's Government what requirements are in place to ensure health and safety risk assessments are maintained in the film and television industry.
Answered by Viscount Younger of Leckie - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 and associated regulations provide an effective framework for securing the health, safety, and welfare of those working in the film and television industry.
Employers and the self-employed working in the film and television industry are required by the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 to make a suitable and sufficient assessment of risks to workers, themselves, and others from their work activities for the purpose of identifying and implementing measures to manage those risks. If there is reason to suspect an assessment is no longer effective or if there has been significant change in the matters being assessed, then an assessment must be reviewed and amended. Where an employer employs five or more employees they must record the significant findings of an assessment, and any group of employees identified by it as being especially at risk.
Asked by: Baroness Smith of Basildon (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment has been made of the impact that the lowering of the benefit cap will have on vulnerable children.
Answered by Lord Freud
The Government carefully considered the impact of the reduced benefit cap on children as part of the policy making process.
The government believes that work is the best route out of poverty and it is not in the best interests of children to live in workless households. The benefit cap is expected to encourage more parents to work which is in the best interests of children.
A wide range of help and support has been put in place to assist parents, including budgeting and employment support and support with child care. DHPs are also available to assist those affected by the measure. The Government has allocated a total of £870m for DHP payments for five years from 2016/17.
Exemptions apply where someone in the household is entitled to a disability benefit such as Personal Independence Payment or Disability Living Allowance. We have introduced new exemptions for households where someone is entitled to Carer’s Allowance, the carer’s element of Universal Credit, or Guardian’s Allowance.
Parents affected by the benefit cap will still be entitled to £23,000 p.a. in Greater London and £20,000 p.a. outside Greater London which is more than the earnings of many working households.
The Government published an updated Impact Assessment on 25 August, 2016 which is available on the Gov.Uk website. An Equality Analysis was published on the legislation.gov.uk website on the same page as Statutory Instrument Number 2016/909.
Asked by: Baroness Smith of Basildon (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what advice has been provided this Session for ministers or senior officials in the Department for Work and Pensions on whether to use secondary legislation or primary legislation for significant legislation.
Answered by Lord Freud
There has been no change in approach to the use of primary and secondary legislation since the General Election. Each piece of legislation is approached within the context of the policy and the existing legislative framework. There is no evidence of an increase in the number of statutory instruments laid since 2010 or since the General Election. Briefing produced by the House of Commons Library (CBP 7438) shows that the number of statutory instruments laid before the House of Commons peaked at 1,885 in the 2005-06 session, compared to 1,378 last session and 540 so far this session.