Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether the Government's programme to help tackle health inequalities will include improved access to occupational health.

Quality Occupational Health (OH) services have the potential to prevent work-related illness and avoidable sickness absence, support disabled people and those with ill health conditions to remain in work, support business productivity and potentially reduce pressures on the NHS.

Following the publication of the response to the Health is Everyone’s Business consultation, we are exploring a number of policy options in partnership with the Department for Health and Social Care to increase access to quality and cost effective OH services, whilst ensuring that the market has the capacity to provide the services. We are particularly focusing on improving access to OH for SMEs and the self-employed as evidence suggests that smaller employers are less likely to provide access to OH than larger employers.