Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what progress she has made on implementing the proposals relating to occupational health in the Government response to the joint DWP and DHSC consultation Health is Everyone’s Business.

Access to Occupational Health (OH) services can play an important role in supporting people with ill health conditions to remain in, and thrive in, work. Since publishing the joint DWP-DHSC consultation response, good progress has been made on the proposals. This includes developing the test for a financial incentive and market navigation support for SME and self-employed people; working with the OH sector to identify ways to support development of the OH workforce; identifying ways to stimulate innovation in the OH market; and piloting the collection of outcome-linked metrics with a small group of OH providers.