Asked by: Lord Stevenson of Balmacara (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made, if any, of the impact that the practice of stopping and reviewing benefits for disabled people who earn over a certain monthly threshold has had on the advertising industry’s project to increase diversity within the sector.
Answered by Baroness Stedman-Scott
The department has not assessed whether benefit rules in relation to earnings have impacted on the advertising industry’s project to increase diversity within this sector.
Asked by: Lord Stevenson of Balmacara (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have any plans to amend the legislation relating to the calculation of child maintenance so that such calculations are based on a parent's gross salary, after tax and National Insurance deductions but before the deduction of pensions contributions.
Answered by Baroness Stedman-Scott
Our statutory child maintenance scheme calculates payments simply and efficiently, usually based on the paying parent’s gross taxable income. This information is taken directly from HM Revenue and Customs for the latest available tax year.
We continue to review the calculation but have no plans to change it at this time.
Asked by: Lord Stevenson of Balmacara (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many cases involving children at farms have been investigated by the Health and Safety Executive in each of the last 10 years.
Answered by Baroness Stedman-Scott
In each of the last 10 years, the table below shows the number of incidents, or concerns followed up, the Health and Safety Executive has investigated regarding the health and safety of children on farms:
Year | Fatal/non-fatal injuries investigated | Concerns followed up |
2018/2019 | 4 | 17 |
2017/2018 | 2 | 9 |
2016/2017 | 4 | 11 |
2015/2016 | 3 | 12 |
2014/2015 | 2 | 11 |
2013/2014 | 6 | 26 |
2012/2013 | 4 | 22 |
2011/2012 | 1 | 7 |
2010/2011 | 3 | 4 |
2009/2010 | 4 | 1 |
Asked by: Lord Stevenson of Balmacara (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether children visiting farms are protected by the statutory duties on employers and others to protect the health and safety of non-employees, including members of the public, as set out in the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974.
Answered by Baroness Stedman-Scott
Children visiting farms, and those that live on the farm, are protected by the general duties of Section 3 of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 (HSWA). The HSWA requires employers and the self-employed to conduct their undertaking to ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, that persons not in their employment are not exposed to risks to their health and safety.
In addition to the general duties of HSWA, the Prevention of Accidents to Children in Agriculture Regulations 1998 place specific duties on any person in respect of protecting the health and safety of children on farms from the risks of riding on or driving certain farm vehicles.
Guidance for employers and the self-employed can be found in the leaflet ‘Preventing accidents to children on farms’. A copy is attached.
Asked by: Lord Stevenson of Balmacara (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask Her Majesty's Government when they will publish their response to the recent consultation on the new compliance and arrears strategy for child maintenance; whether they will bring forward regulations aimed at improving how the Child Maintenance Service calculates maintenance for paying parents with complex income; and whether they still plan to write off arrears accrued under the Child Support Agency which are owed to receiving parents.
Answered by Baroness Buscombe
We expect to publish the Government’s response within the next few weeks. Regulations to support the strategy outlined in the response will be laid as early as is practicable.
Asked by: Lord Stevenson of Balmacara (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the extent to which section 6 of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 applies to artificial intelligence or machine learning software that is used in the workplace to (1) control or animate physical things in the workplace, (2) design articles for use in the workplace, or (3) support human decision-making processes running on computers under the control of the employer with an impact on people's health and safety; and whether, in each case, testing regimes exist as set out in section 6(1)(b) of that Act.
Answered by Baroness Buscombe
Section 6 of the Health and safety at Work etc. Act 1974 places duties on any person who designs, manufacturers, imports or supplies any article for use at work to ensure that it will be safe and without risks to health, which applies to artificial intelligence and machine learning software. Section 6(1)(b) requires such testing and examination as may be necessary to ensure that any article for use at work is safe and without risks but does not specify specific testing regimes. It is for the designer, manufacturer, importer or supplier to develop tests that are sufficient to demonstrate that their product is safe.
The Health and Safety Executive's (HSE) Foresight Centre monitors developments in artificial intelligence to identify potential health and safety implications for the workplace over the next decade. The Centre reports that there are likely to be increasing numbers of automated systems in the workplace, including robots and artificial intelligence. HSE will continue to monitor the technology as it develops and will respond appropriately on the basis of risk.
Asked by: Lord Stevenson of Balmacara (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the Child Maintenance Service is currently able to request the provision of P60s to enable calculations of child maintenance to be made; if so, to what extent such powers are used; and if not, whether they plan to allow for the request of P60s in future.
Answered by Baroness Buscombe
The calculation of child maintenance is based upon gross income information from the most recent tax year provided directly to the DWP by HMRC. Every year the calculation is updated as new income information is reported to HMRC. A P60 shows income reported to HMRC at the end of the tax year and so would contain this same information. For this reason it is not necessary to use P60s as evidence when calculating maintenance.