Asked by: Ayoub Khan (Independent - Birmingham Perry Barr)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent discussions he has had with the Health and Safety Executive on improving health surveillance for workers exposed to respirable crystalline silica.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has strengthened its guidance on health surveillance to make clear that employers must ensure that the health of employees exposed to respirable crystalline silica is regularly monitored. HSE is serving improvement notices when failings to provide statutory health surveillance are found, and further measures will be considered should it become clear they are needed.
Asked by: Ayoub Khan (Independent - Birmingham Perry Barr)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the Health and Safety Executive’s enforcement powers in relation to employers exposing workers to respirable crystalline silica dust during the cutting of engineered stone products.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Great Britain has a robust and well-established regulatory framework to protect workers from health risks arising from exposure to hazardous substances, including respirable crystalline silica under the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002. The right controls, including water suppression of dust and mist control, appropriate respiratory protective equipment and effective ventilation, can prevent exposure to respirable crystalline silica when processing engineered stone products. Health and Safety Executive inspectors are using existing enforcement powers including serving both improvement notices and prohibition notices to secure the measures necessary to protect workers at risk from exposure.
Asked by: Ayoub Khan (Independent - Birmingham Perry Barr)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what representations he made to his Indian counterpart on the release of Jagtar Singh Johal during his delegation's visit to India.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Secretary of State was in India for a very short period to progress trade discussions only. We continue to raise concerns about Mr Johal’s prolonged detention at every appropriate opportunity with the Government of India, and the Foreign Secretary did so again on her visit on 4th June. We have made clear that faster progress is needed to reach a resolution, including a full investigation into Mr Johal’s allegations of torture.
Asked by: Ayoub Khan (Independent - Birmingham Perry Barr)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether he plans to make silicosis a reportable disease under the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 2013.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
On 7 April 2026, the Health and Safety Executive launched a consultation seeking views on expanding the requirements in the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 2013, including reintroducing reports of pneumoconiosis, which includes silicosis. The consultation remains live until 30 June.
Asked by: Ayoub Khan (Independent - Birmingham Perry Barr)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of the introduction of an industry-wide (a) accreditation and (b) kitemark scheme for the safe fabrication of engineered stone products.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) supports the introduction of an industry-led quality standard by the Worktop Fabricators Federation in collaboration with the British Occupational Hygiene Society. Accredited fabricators must be independently audited by an Occupational Hygienist registered with the British Occupational Hygiene Society to confirm they meet all of the scheme’s criteria, which are in line with HSE’s regulatory approach to protecting workers.
Asked by: Ayoub Khan (Independent - Birmingham Perry Barr)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what discussions his Department has had with industry representatives on improving consumer awareness of workplace safety standards in the manufacture of quartz and engineered stone kitchen surfaces.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is working closely with the Worktop Fabricators Federation and British Occupational Hygiene Society to support introduction of an industry-led quality standard. To display the quality mark, a kitchen surface fabricator must demonstrate compliance against set criteria and meet the requirement for independent verification by a registered Occupational Hygienist.
HSE is engaging with the Stone Federation, engineered stone suppliers, processors and installers, and has also written to 23 suppliers of engineered stone confirming their duties to provide information to their customers about the risks when processing engineered stone products.
Asked by: Ayoub Khan (Independent - Birmingham Perry Barr)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether his Department is considering the introduction of a national screening programme for workers exposed to silica dust in the engineered stone industry.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Active health surveillance is a mandatory duty placed upon relevant duty holders under health and safety law, which will detect and tackle ill health amongst workers who may be exposed. Employers are required to act on the results they receive and workers should also inform their employer if they are concerned about symptoms. Voluntary health screening, which does not connect to a system of health surveillance through the employer, falls within the remit of the Department of Health and Social Care.
A programme of inspections of all workshops known to be cutting engineered stone is being undertaken by the Health and Safety Executive this year, to ensure that the obligations of duty holders - including in relation to employee health surveillance - are being complied with.
Asked by: Ayoub Khan (Independent - Birmingham Perry Barr)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what guidance is provided to staff handling Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit claims involving terminally ill claimants with occupational lung disease.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
DWP staff handling Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit claims follow operational guidance designed to ensure that claims from people who are terminally ill are identified and processed as a priority. The guidance provides for such cases to be expedited to ensure that entitlement is determined as quickly as possible.
Asked by: Ayoub Khan (Independent - Birmingham Perry Barr)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether the Government plans to introduce a statutory prohibition on dry cutting of high-silica engineered stone without appropriate dust suppression measures.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Workers can be protected if the right control measures are in place to prevent exposure to harmful dust. The Health and Safety Executive will be carrying out more than 1000 inspections and where standards are not met, enforcement action is being taken to prohibit dry processing and require improvements in controls for dust. Further statutory restrictions on dry cutting engineered stone are not currently being proposed.
Asked by: Ayoub Khan (Independent - Birmingham Perry Barr)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps the Government is taking to help ensure compliance with Health and Safety Executive guidance prohibiting dry cutting of engineered stone without water suppression controls.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has launched a campaign to highlight clear expectations for what businesses must do in recently published guidance and on HSEs Workright website.
HSE will be carrying out more than 1000 inspections to every site it can identify that works with engineered stone. Where standards are not met, enforcement action is being taken, including issuing improvement or prohibition notices that require a duty holder to make improvements or stop dangerous activities.