Asked by: Margaret Mullane (Labour - Dagenham and Rainham)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent assessment she has made of trends in the level of silicosis among workers.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) uses the Surveillance of Work-related and Occupational Respiratory Disease (SWORD) database to monitor trends in cases of silicosis.
HSE uses SWORD data that is reported voluntarily by around 350 physicians of respiratory disease to monitor cases of silicosis arising from work activity. HSE continues to monitor the number of cases recorded on the SWORD database.
Over the period from January 2024 to October 2025 HSE has seen an increased trend in notifications of silicosis on SWORD. HSE will continue to work with trade associations, material suppliers and manufacturers of products about their legal responsibilities and will continue to carry out a range of activities to raise awareness.
Asked by: Marie Goldman (Liberal Democrat - Chelmsford)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will take steps to ensure that Windrush (a) claimants and (b) claimants' families can ask for their cases to be reviewed if they believe that the level of compensation they have been awarded is incorrect.
Answered by Mike Tapp - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
We continue to listen and respond to feedback from affected communities and stakeholders, including the Windrush Commissioner, to improve how the Scheme operates. We are committed to awarding the maximum amount at the earliest point possible and doing so with compassion and understanding.
On 24 October 2025, the Home Secretary announced a series of significant changes to the Windrush Compensation Scheme, including compensation for losses to occupational and personal pensions.
We are working at pace to implement these changes. Updated rules and caseworker guidance will be published as soon as possible. Once the new rules go live, all changes will be applied retrospectively. A dedicated team will review previously concluded claims to identify those who may benefit from the updates.
If a claimant or claimant’s family disagree with the outcome of their claim, they can request a review of the decision.
We will be launching a consultation on our earned settlement proposals later this year. Everyone will be welcome to participate. There are no plans to change eligibility for the right of abode in the UK. Members of the Windrush generation who do not have proof of their lawful status in the UK can continue to apply to the Windrush Scheme to obtain this.
Asked by: Marie Goldman (Liberal Democrat - Chelmsford)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, for what reason pensions were not included in the original Windrush Compensation Scheme.
Answered by Mike Tapp - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
We continue to listen and respond to feedback from affected communities and stakeholders, including the Windrush Commissioner, to improve how the Scheme operates. We are committed to awarding the maximum amount at the earliest point possible and doing so with compassion and understanding.
On 24 October 2025, the Home Secretary announced a series of significant changes to the Windrush Compensation Scheme, including compensation for losses to occupational and personal pensions.
We are working at pace to implement these changes. Updated rules and caseworker guidance will be published as soon as possible. Once the new rules go live, all changes will be applied retrospectively. A dedicated team will review previously concluded claims to identify those who may benefit from the updates.
If a claimant or claimant’s family disagree with the outcome of their claim, they can request a review of the decision.
We will be launching a consultation on our earned settlement proposals later this year. Everyone will be welcome to participate. There are no plans to change eligibility for the right of abode in the UK. Members of the Windrush generation who do not have proof of their lawful status in the UK can continue to apply to the Windrush Scheme to obtain this.
Asked by: Marie Goldman (Liberal Democrat - Chelmsford)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the news story entitled Windrush compensation scheme overhaul to deliver faster justice, published on 24 October 2025, when she expects pension losses to be added to the awards of Windrush Compensation Scheme claimants.
Answered by Mike Tapp - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
We continue to listen and respond to feedback from affected communities and stakeholders, including the Windrush Commissioner, to improve how the Scheme operates. We are committed to awarding the maximum amount at the earliest point possible and doing so with compassion and understanding.
On 24 October 2025, the Home Secretary announced a series of significant changes to the Windrush Compensation Scheme, including compensation for losses to occupational and personal pensions.
We are working at pace to implement these changes. Updated rules and caseworker guidance will be published as soon as possible. Once the new rules go live, all changes will be applied retrospectively. A dedicated team will review previously concluded claims to identify those who may benefit from the updates.
If a claimant or claimant’s family disagree with the outcome of their claim, they can request a review of the decision.
We will be launching a consultation on our earned settlement proposals later this year. Everyone will be welcome to participate. There are no plans to change eligibility for the right of abode in the UK. Members of the Windrush generation who do not have proof of their lawful status in the UK can continue to apply to the Windrush Scheme to obtain this.
Asked by: Marie Goldman (Liberal Democrat - Chelmsford)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make it her policy to exclude Windrush claimants from her proposed changes to the eligibility criteria for (a) Indefinite Leave to Remain and (b) Right of Abode.
Answered by Mike Tapp - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
We continue to listen and respond to feedback from affected communities and stakeholders, including the Windrush Commissioner, to improve how the Scheme operates. We are committed to awarding the maximum amount at the earliest point possible and doing so with compassion and understanding.
On 24 October 2025, the Home Secretary announced a series of significant changes to the Windrush Compensation Scheme, including compensation for losses to occupational and personal pensions.
We are working at pace to implement these changes. Updated rules and caseworker guidance will be published as soon as possible. Once the new rules go live, all changes will be applied retrospectively. A dedicated team will review previously concluded claims to identify those who may benefit from the updates.
If a claimant or claimant’s family disagree with the outcome of their claim, they can request a review of the decision.
We will be launching a consultation on our earned settlement proposals later this year. Everyone will be welcome to participate. There are no plans to change eligibility for the right of abode in the UK. Members of the Windrush generation who do not have proof of their lawful status in the UK can continue to apply to the Windrush Scheme to obtain this.
Asked by: Callum Anderson (Labour - Buckingham and Bletchley)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what discussions his Department has had with NHS England on integrated occupational-health pathways.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Joint DWP and DHSC Work & Health Directorate routinely works across Departments and health systems to develop cross cutting initiatives such as Employment Advisors in NHS Talking Therapies, the Individual Placement and Support in Primary Care programme and WorkWell.
The Employment Advisors in NHS Talking Therapies (England), embeds Employment Advisors within the Talking Therapies service, enabling the provision of integrated therapeutic treatment and employment support to patients regardless of their work or benefit status.
The Individual Placement and Support in Primary Care programme (IPSPC), is a Supported Employment model aimed at supporting disabled people and those with health conditions. IPSPC supports people who are out of work and those needing support with their health issues to stay in work.
The WorkWell pilot is a new way to deliver integrated work and health support that is designed by Integrated Care Boards in partnership with local government, Jobcentre Plus and community groups. These partnerships have had flexibility to design their WorkWell service according to their local needs, building on existing assets and resources, creating opportunities to integrate provision and pathways across places. Sites went live from October 2024 in 15 areas in England and provide low intensity holistic support for health-related barriers to employment, and a single joined up gateway to existing local work and health service provision. Multidisciplinary teams provide support to participants that can include employer liaison, work and health coaching, physiotherapy, and mental health services.
Asked by: Margaret Mullane (Labour - Dagenham and Rainham)
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 raise awareness among (a) employers and (b) workers of the risks of silica exposure.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Great Britain has a well-established regulatory framework under the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002 (as amended) (COSHH), which requires employers to protect workers’ health by preventing exposure to Respirable Crystalline Silica (RCS).
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE), as the regulator for workplace health and safety, is carrying out a range of activities to tackle the risks of silicosis from work that can generate RCS. HSE has delivered several national inspection campaigns and has engaged with trade associations, material suppliers and manufacturers of products about legal responsibilities for ensuring adequate controls are in place when processing stone products.
Guidance for employers, workers, managers and supervisors is available on HSE’s website and the Government’s Workright website setting out how workers can be protected from exposure to RCS. In response to specific concerns about risks of working with engineered stone an information leaflet, launched jointly with the Worktop Fabricators Federation (WFF) and the Stone Federation, targets those in control of such work promoting risk awareness, required control measures and sources of further information. HSE also worked with the British Occupational Hygiene Society, the WFF and Safety Remotely to launch a free online training tool to help anyone working in the kitchen worktop industry.
An information leaflet was launched on HSE’s website in October 2025 specifically to raise awareness amongst workers, including translations in Polish, Punjabi and Arabic.
Asked by: Dan Norris (Independent - North East Somerset and Hanham)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will set out his Department’s plans to provide support to help sick and disabled people into work.
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 in November 2024 is driving 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 are a diverse group so access to the right work and health support, in the right place, at the right time, is key. 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, WorkWell and NHS Health and Growth Accelerators.
In our March Green Paper, we set out our Pathways to Work Guarantee, backed by £1 billion a year of new additional funding by 2030. We will build towards a guaranteed offer of personalised work, health and skills support for all disabled people and those with health conditions on out of work benefits.
In recognition of employers’ vital role in addressing health-related economic activity, we appointed Sir Charlie Mayfield to lead the independent Keep Britain Working Review. The Report was published on 5 November. In partnership with the Department for Business and Trade and the Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC), we are immediately launching Vanguards to test new employer-led approaches to support individuals to stay in work and develop a Healthy Workplace Standard, putting Sir Charlie’s key recommendations into action from day one.
Additionally, the DWP and DHSC Joint Work and Health Directorate has developed a digital information service for employers, continues to oversee the Disability Confident Scheme, and continues to increase access to Occupational Health.
The 10 Year Health Plan, published in July, builds on existing work to better integrate health with employment support and incentivise greater cross-system collaboration, recognising good work is good for health. The Plan states our intention to break down barriers to opportunity by delivering the holistic support that people need to access and thrive in employment by ensuring a better health service for everyone, regardless of condition or service area. It also outlines how the neighbourhood health service will join up support from across the work, health and skills systems to help address the multiple complex challenges that often stop people finding and staying in work.
Asked by: Margaret Mullane (Labour - Dagenham and Rainham)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will take steps to improve data collection on occupational diseases linked to silica exposure.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Clinical assessments of silicosis are being reported on the Surveillance of Work-related and Occupational Respiratory Disease (SWORD) database, which collects voluntary information from around 350 physicians of respiratory disease, including silicosis.
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) intends to consult on potential changes to the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 2013 (RIDDOR) including consideration of changing the definitions of occupational diseases that employers would be required to report. HSE is intending to launch a public consultation on these options in 2026, which will be subject to Ministerial review.
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 she is taking to promote more positive mental wellbeing 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. In our March Green Paper, we set out our Pathways to Work Guarantee, backed by £1 billion a year of new additional funding by 2030. We will build towards a guaranteed offer of personalised work, health and skills support for all disabled people and those with health conditions on out of work benefits.
In recognition of employer’s vital role in addressing health-related economic activity we appointed Sir Charlie Mayfield to lead the Keep Britain Working independent review, which was published on 5 November. In partnership with DBT and DHSC colleagues we are immediately launching Vanguards to test new employer-led approaches to support individuals to stay in work, putting his key recommendations into action from day one, including working with Northern Ireland and the other Devolved Governments. In the review, Sir Charlie has recommended that mental health in young people should be a potential priority area as a deep dive for the Vanguards.
Additionally, the DWP and DHSC Joint Work and Health Directorate has developed a digital information service for employers, continues to oversee the Disability Confident Scheme, and continues to increase access to Occupational Health.