Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he is taking to help ensure that foundation apprenticeship routes provide progression into (a) full apprenticeships and (b) employment.
Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
Foundation apprenticeships are jobs with training which provide a broad grounding in an entry level occupation, leading to opportunities for progression to a more specific or higher-level apprenticeship. In addition to vocational skills, they develop common behaviours needed by those new to the workplace which include employability skills, resilience and commitment to personal development.
Once someone has achieved a foundation apprenticeship, they can progress onto a more specific or higher-level apprenticeship and the learning from their foundation apprenticeship will support this transition. Each occupational standard will make possible progression routes clear.
The foundation apprenticeship options published in August are underpinned by an employer incentive payment of up to £2,000 to contribute to the extra costs of supporting someone at the beginning of their career. It will be paid in three instalments the first two spread across the foundation apprenticeship, with the final payment made when an apprentice progresses onto their next apprenticeship.
Asked by: Charlotte Cane (Liberal Democrat - Ely and East Cambridgeshire)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 20 October 2025 to Question 80145 on Occupational Health, what recent discussions his Department has had with businesses on the adequacy of guidance on disclosures.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Department recognises that disclosure is a personal decision and the Support with Employee Health and Disability service, developed with the involvement of employers from smaller businesses, and disability organisations, aims to support employers in creating environments where employees feel safe and supported to disclose health conditions or disabilities.
In recognition of employers’ vital role, DWP and DBT commissioned Sir Charlie Mayfield to lead the Keep Britain Working independent review as part of the Government’s wider white paper plans to Get Britain Working. This has included engagement with businesses across the UK on all aspects of health and disability in the workplace. We are shortly expecting publication of Sir Charlie’s final report.
Government is also awaiting the findings from the recent consultation on disability pay gap reporting, where reporting on disclosure rates was discussed.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps her Department is taking to help improve safety at motorsport events.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 and associated regulations provide a framework for securing the health, safety and welfare of those working in the motorsports industry. Employers and the self-employed are required to comply with this law. A further duty is placed on them by Regulation 3 of The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999, which requires every employer to make a suitable and sufficient risk assessment of the risks to those employees and non-employees in relation to risks arising from conduct of their undertaking and share the significant findings.
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) holds the national policy lead for occupational health and safety in the leisure industry, including recreational motorsports, however, local authorities (LAs) are primarily responsible for enforcing health and safety law at individual events. HSE regularly liaises with colleagues from the Department for Culture Media and Sport (DCMS) who also have an interest in this topic.
HSE and DCMS attend the LA motorsports forum which meets quarterly online. A number of the motorsports authorising bodies have presented to this group to raise awareness of key topics. HSE and the forum have produced a best practice aide-memoire for LA regulatory visits. This document is under final LA consultation before moving to publication shortly.
HSE seeks to promote safety at events by making practical advice and guidance available for organisers of motorsport events. The HSE publication ‘Managing health and safety at motorsports events’ describes the main risks at motorsport events and some of the steps that can safeguard the health and safety of employees, participants, and spectators. This guidance is made freely available by HSE at https://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/priced/hsg112.pdf
Asked by: Paul Kohler (Liberal Democrat - Wimbledon)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of levels of access to (a) lifelong learning and (b) reskilling opportunities for adults seeking employment in emerging industries.
Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
We are continuing to invest in education and skills training for adults (19 and over) through the Adult Skills Fund (ASF), spending £1.4 billion in the 2025/26 academic year, ensuring that adults can access the education and training they need to get into employment or progress in work. The ASF supports a range of courses for adults of all ages including those relating to new and emerging industries, such as digital technologies.
Currently, 68% of the ASF is devolved to 12 Mayoral Strategic Authorities and the Greater London Authority (GLA). These authorities are responsible for the provision of ASF-funded adult education for their residents, the allocation of the ASF to learning providers, and deciding how the ASF best meets the needs of the local economy. By honouring our commitments to combine and further devolve adult skills funding, we give those with local knowledge the power they need to make decisions that are best for their areas.
This government is also transforming the apprenticeships offer into a new growth and skills offer, which will give greater flexibility to employers and to learners throughout their careers.
From April 2026, the government will also enable employers to use the growth and skills levy for new short courses in areas such as digital, artificial intelligence and engineering, to support Industrial Strategy sectors. This new flexible offer will support employed learners to update or improve relevant aspects of their skills base, with the support of their employer.
Additionally, in August 2025 the government reduced the apprenticeship minimum duration to 8 months so that shorter duration apprenticeships are now possible. We expect this flexibility to open-up more opportunities, including where the apprentice already has relevant prior learning or experiences that reduces their time needed to train. This change will enable more adults with prior career experience to access apprenticeships and achieve occupational competence more quickly.
Lastly, the Lifelong Learning Entitlement (LLE) will launch in academic year 2026/27 and will support individuals to learn, upskill and retrain across their working lives. Learners will be able to use this new entitlement more flexibly than ever before to fund individual modules as well as full courses at levels 4 to 6, regardless of whether they are provided in colleges, universities or independent providers.
Asked by: Kirsteen Sullivan (Labour (Co-op) - Bathgate and Linlithgow)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what percentage of fatalities that occurred in the workplace were investigated by the Health and Safety Executive in the (a) 2022, (b) 2023 and (c) 2024 reporting year.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 2013 (RIDDOR) puts duties on employers and other people in charge of work premises to report and keep records of all work-related fatalities, work related injuries, diagnosed cases of re-portable occupational diseases, and certain 'dangerous occurrences' (incidents with the potential to cause harm).
When reported to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) all fatalities undergo an initial triage investigation to determine whether the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 applies or not. An assessment is made to determine whether a full investigation is appropriate. Consideration is given to whether all reasonably practical precautions were taken, evidence is still available, the death was ‘work-related’ or it resulted from natural causes. Where appropriate, this will result in a full investigation by an Inspector.
The table below only shows the number of RIDDOR reportable fatal injuries in HSE enforced premises and investigated by HSE.
Year | No. RIDDOR reportable fatalities enforced by HSE |
2022/23 | 156 |
2023/24 | 166 (r) |
2024/25 | 154 (p) |
Note:
Figures for 2024/25 are provisional and are marked as 'p' in the tables. They will be finalised in July 2026 following any necessary adjustments. Figures for 2023/24 have been revised (finalised) and are marked as 'r' in the tables.
Data on all fatalities in the workplace including for example, deaths from natural causes, is not available.
Asked by: Kirsteen Sullivan (Labour (Co-op) - Bathgate and Linlithgow)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many injuries occurred in the workplace in the (a) 2022, (b) 2023 and (c) 2024 reporting year.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 2013 (RIDDOR) puts duties on employers and other people in charge of work premises to report and keep records of all work-related fatalities, work related injuries, diagnosed cases of reportable occupational diseases, and certain 'dangerous occurrences' (incidents with the potential to cause harm).
The purpose of RIDDOR is to inform the relevant enforcing authority (Health and Safety Executive (HSE), local authorities or other enforcing authorities) that a work-related accident or event has happened to enable an appropriate regulatory response where required.
Not all injuries that occur in the workplace are ‘work-related’ and not all work-related injuries are reportable under RIDDOR. Only certain specified work-related injuries, injuries to member of the public where they are taken to hospital for treatment and injuries resulting in employees being absent from work for over 7 days are reportable. Therefore, RIDDOR only provides a partial picture of injuries occurring in the workplace.
The following data is the number of RIDDOR reports relating to specified injuries to employees, work-related injuries to members of the public and over-7-day absences for HSE only i.e. it does not include injury reports notified to local authorities, the Office of Rail and Road or the Office of Nuclear Regulation who also regulate under RIDDOR.
2022/23 – 59,774
2023/24 – 61,708
[Figures for 2024/25 have not been finalised yet.]
Asked by: Al Pinkerton (Liberal Democrat - Surrey Heath)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of providing pre-1997 indexation protections for individuals in Surrey Heath constituency.
Answered by Torsten Bell - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Government has no plans to change the way pre-1997 indexation is applied to defined benefit occupational pension schemes.
The minimum legal requirements for indexation must be appropriate across all defined benefit schemes. Changing these minimum requirements would increase the liabilities and costs for all schemes.
The reforms in our Pension Schemes Bill give trustees more flexibility to share surplus with sponsoring employers, and better negotiate benefits for members, including discretionary increases.
Asked by: Helen Maguire (Liberal Democrat - Epsom and Ewell)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department is taking to increase the number of people with epilepsy in the workplace.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Good work is generally good for health and wellbeing, so we want everyone to get work and get on in work, whoever they are and wherever they live. Backed by £240 million investment, the Get Britain Working White Paper launched last November will drive forward approaches to tackling economic inactivity and work toward the long-term ambition of an 80% employment rate.
Disabled people and people with health conditions, including epilepsy, are a diverse group so access to the right work and health support, in the right place, at the right time, is key. The Government is committed to supporting disabled people and people with health conditions, including epilepsy, with their employment journey. We therefore have a range of specialist initiatives to support individuals to stay in work and get back into work, including those that join up employment and health systems.
Measures include support from Work Coaches and Disability Employment Advisers in Jobcentres and Access to Work grants, as well as joining up health and employment support around the individual through Employment Advisors in NHS Talking Therapies, Individual Placement and Support in Primary Care and WorkWell.
It is also recognised that employers play an important role in addressing health and disability. To build on this, the DWP and DHSC Joint Work & Health Directorate (JWHD) is facilitating “Keep Britain Working”, an independent review of the role of UK employers in reducing health-related inactivity and to promote healthy and inclusive workplaces. The lead reviewer, Sir Charlie Mayfield, is expected to bring forward recommendations in Autumn 2025.
Additionally, the JWHD has developed a digital information service for employers, continues to oversee the Disability Confident Scheme, and continues to increase access to Occupational Health.
Asked by: Ben Obese-Jecty (Conservative - Huntingdon)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of restoring occupational pensions to people who withdrew them prior to the establishment of the Pension Protection Fund.
Answered by Torsten Bell - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
This Government has not made an assessment on the matter.
The Financial Assistance Scheme (FAS) existed prior to the Pension Protection Fund, to make payments to members of qualifying DB schemes that started to wind-up between 1 January 1997 and 5 April 2005.
The FAS provides compensation to eligible members of DB pension schemes, such as in cases where the employer has undergone a qualifying insolvency event and the scheme lacks sufficient assets to meet its liabilities. It makes payments to eligible members who are unable to receive the full value of their accrued pension benefits, helping to safeguard retirement income where the scheme itself cannot secure those benefits in full.
Asked by: Kirsteen Sullivan (Labour (Co-op) - Bathgate and Linlithgow)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what percentage of injuries that occurred in the workplace were investigated by the Health and Safety Executive in the (a) 2022, (b) 2023 and (c) 2024 reporting year.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 2013 (RIDDOR) puts duties on employers and other people in charge of work premises to report and keep records of all work-related fatalities, work related injuries, diagnosed cases of reportable occupational diseases, and certain 'dangerous occurrences' (incidents with the potential to cause harm).
The purpose of RIDDOR is to inform the relevant enforcing authority (Health and Safety Executive (HSE), local authorities or other enforcing authorities) that a work-related accident or event has happened to enable an appropriate regulatory response where required. This is to ensure businesses maintain compliance with their duties and responsibilities under health and safety law.
HSE does not investigate everything that is reported. When a RIDDOR report is received, each report is considered against HSE’s published Incident Selection Criteria to help determine what will be investigated. Consideration is also given to the seriousness of the incident and the level of risk, or potential risk, that exists along with any previous enforcement history of the duty holder.
The following data is for RIDDOR reports received by the HSE relating to work-related fatalities, work related injuries (workers and non-workers) and over-7-day absences.
Year | RIDDOR reports | Accidents investigated | % investigated |
2022/23 | 59,910 | 1,949 | 3% |
2023/24 | 61,846 | 1,956 | 3% |