Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps she plans to take to (a) adequately fund and (b) strengthen the powers of the Health and Safety Executive to support their proactive inspection of (a) premises occupied by the garment industry in Leicester and (b) other workplaces.

HSE is funded to deliver its planned regulatory role and the government has made available up to an extra £14.19 million to support the provision of Covid-19 advice and additional regulatory activities.

Under the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974, HSE has a sufficient range of powers to enforce health and safety law in the workplaces it regulates. HSE continues to regulate in areas of greatest risk and build capability for proactively inspecting workplaces across the country to target regions and industries where concerns of Covid-19 transmission are greatest.