Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the World Health Organisation report entitled Carcinogenicity of occupational exposure as a firefighter, published on 30th June 2022, if she will include cancer in firefighters related to flame retardant chemicals in the list of diseases covered by the Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit.

The health and safety of firefighters is of great importance.

The emerging evidence of firefighters being exposed to risks of cancer is concerning.

It is for individual fire and rescue authorities, as employers with responsibility for health and wellbeing, to ensure that firefighters receive the appropriate equipment and training they need to safely respond to the wide range of incidents which they attend.