Asked by: Baroness Finlay of Llandaff (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, in view of carbon monoxide poisoning risks in the home, what steps they have taken to (1) raise awareness of the availability of free call-out gas services, (2) ensure that every pregnant woman has a carbon monoxide alarm following the suspension of antenatal screening for carbon monoxide, (3) amend the symptoms algorithm on the NHS 111 line to take account of the fact that symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning can masquerade as those of COVID-19.
Answered by Lord Bethell
The Department does not have a remit for the oversight of gas services or domestic carbon monoxide alarms.
NHS England and NHS Improvement issued guidance to maternity services to pause carbon monoxide testing of pregnant women during COVID-19 pandemic.
NHS 111, through the NHS Pathways system, uses information and symptoms given by the patient to assess what care they need. NHS Pathways does not diagnose but will recommend further action, including referrals, based upon their assessment. If anyone (including pregnant women) presents with symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning, they would be assessed using the appropriate algorithm based on their symptoms.
Asked by: Harriett Baldwin (Conservative - West Worcestershire)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if he will publish the risk assessment that his Department commissioned when it advised landlords to continue to carry out in-home gas boiler inspections during the covid-19 outbreak.
Answered by Christopher Pincher
The Health and Safety Executive is the regulator and independent enforcer of the Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998 and oversees the Gas Safe Register under the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974. The Health & Safety Executive has made clear that landlords should not suspend all annual gas safety checks at this time as it could put tenants at risk of serious illness or fatalities from gas explosions or carbon monoxide poisoning, particularly as people are spending all or most of their time at home. It is the responsibility of the dutyholder to assess on a case by case basis the risk of carrying out gas safety checks in a property. HSE guidance can be found here: https://www.gassaferegister.co.uk/help-and-advice/covid-19-advice-and-guidance/landlords/.
Our guidance is clear that no work should be carried out in any household which is isolating or where an individual is being shielded, unless the work is to remedy a direct risk to the safety of the household. Where entry is required for emergency repairs landlords should take every possible step to minimise contact with residents and follow government guidance on tradespeople working in people homes, which may be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/guidance-to-employers-and-businesses-about-covid-19/guidance-for-employers-and-businesses-on-coronavirus-covid-19#social-distancing-in-the-workplace---principles.
Asked by: Dan Jarvis (Labour - Barnsley Central)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of extending CP12 certificate dates to suspend routine gas safety inspections for three months to reduce the potential transmission of covid-19.
Answered by Christopher Pincher
Gas safety inspections save lives and the Health & Safety Executive has made clear that extending the period of gas safety inspections at this time could put tenants at risk of serious illness or fatalities from gas explosions or carbon monoxide poisoning.
Landlords should make every effort to abide by statutory gas safety obligations. However, we recognise that the current restrictions may be making it harder to carry out these checks. There are provisions in the regulations for landlords to account for situations in which they cannot carry out inspections, however they must demonstrate they have taken all reasonable steps to comply with the law. Recognising the concern among landlords, residents and inspectors, on 7 April 2020, the Health & Safety Executive published further guidance setting out detailed advice for a range of scenarios. This can be found here: https://www.gassaferegister.co.uk/help-and-advice/covid-19-advice-and-guidance/landlords/
Our guidance is clear that no work should be carried out in any household which is isolating or where an individual is being shielded, unless the work is to remedy a direct risk to the safety of the household. Where entry is required for emergency repairs landlords should take every possible step to minimise contact with residents and follow government guidance on tradespeople working in people homes, which may be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/guidance-to-employers-and-businesses-about-covid-19/guidance-for-employers-and-businesses-on-coronavirus-covid-19#social-distancing-in-the-workplace---principles
Asked by: Alexander Stafford (Conservative - Rother Valley)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, is he will grant a (a) 3 and (b) 6 month extension to the deadline for completion of an annual gas safety check for housing association properties during the covid-19 outbreak.
Answered by Christopher Pincher
Gas safety inspections save lives and the Health & Safety Executive (HSE) has made clear that extending the period of gas safety inspections at this time could put tenants at risk of serious illness or fatalities from gas explosions or carbon monoxide poisoning.
Landlords should make every effort to abide by statutory gas safety obligations. However, we recognise that the current restrictions may be making it harder to carry out these checks. There are provisions in the regulations for landlords to account for situations in which they cannot carry out inspections, however they must demonstrate they have taken all reasonable steps to comply with the law. Recognising the concern among social landlords, residents and inspectors, on 7 April 2020, HSE published further guidance setting out detailed advice for a range of scenarios. This can be found here: https://www.gassaferegister.co.uk/help-and-advice/covid-19-advice-and-guidance/landlords/.
Asked by: Liz Twist (Labour - Blaydon)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what guidance his Department provides to the health profession on treating (a) pregnant women and (b) unborn children for carbon monoxide poisoning.
Answered by Nadine Dorries
Guidance on the management of treatment of pregnant women and unborn children for carbon monoxide poisoning is provided and accessible to healthcare professionals on TOXBASE and the United Kingdom Teratology Information Service (UKTIS) website.
If carbon monoxide poisoning is suspected, the initial management is the same as for a non-pregnant patient and consists of identifying and removing the patient from the source of exposure, followed by administration of high concentration oxygen. The patient’s carboxyhaemoglobin concentration should be measured initially and monitored. Treatment may need to be continued for longer in pregnant patients compared to a non-pregnant patient.
It is advised that all cases of carbon monoxide poisoning in pregnancy are discussed with the UKTIS.
Asked by: Liz Twist (Labour - Blaydon)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to protect (a) unborn children and (b) infants from carbon monoxide poisoning.
Answered by Nadine Dorries
Long-term exposure to carbon monoxide gas can damage an unborn baby. Babies exposed to carbon monoxide during pregnancy are at risk of a low birth weight; stillbirth; death that occurs within the first four weeks of birth; and behavioural problems.
Women are tested for the presence of carbon monoxide at the antenatal booking appointment and as appropriate throughout pregnancy to identify smokers, or those exposed to tobacco smoke, and offer them a referral for support from a trained stop smoking advisor. Carbon monoxide testing may also highlight a household problem and the need to take measures to prevent further exposure.
Asked by: Liz Twist (Labour - Blaydon)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the effect of carbon monoxide poisoning during pregnancy on the unborn child; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Nadine Dorries
Long-term exposure to carbon monoxide gas can damage an unborn baby. Babies exposed to carbon monoxide during pregnancy are at risk of a low birth weight; stillbirth; death that occurs within the first four weeks of birth; and behavioural problems.
Women are tested for the presence of carbon monoxide at the antenatal booking appointment and as appropriate throughout pregnancy to identify smokers, or those exposed to tobacco smoke, and offer them a referral for support from a trained stop smoking advisor. Carbon monoxide testing may also highlight a household problem and the need to take measures to prevent further exposure.
Asked by: Yasmin Qureshi (Labour - Bolton South East)
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 (a) assess the effect of air pollutants on the health of drive-through workers and (b) work with employers, employees and trade unions to ensure that steps are taken protect those workers from the effect of air pollutants.
Answered by Mims Davies - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is not currently undertaking any specific steps to assess the effect of air pollutants on the health of drive-through workers.
There is a robust regulatory framework in place to protect workers from exposure to hazardous substances as a result of work activities, including airborne contaminants. The Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002 require employers to prevent or control employee exposure to hazardous substances at work, so far as is reasonably practicable. The Regulations are supported by Workplace Exposure Limits (WELS) for substances hazardous to health including Nitrogen Monoxide, Nitrogen Dioxide, Carbon Monoxide and Sulphur Dioxide, that are also known airborne contaminants.
Tackling occupational lung disease (OLD) as a result of workplace exposure to hazardous substances is one of HSE’s health priorities. HSE works with a broad range of stakeholders including trade associations, employers, trade unions, third sector and professional bodies to reduce the incidence rate of OLD.
Asked by: Lord Hunt of Kings Heath (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask Her Majesty's Government wat assessment they have made of the research conducted by Which? into the effectiveness of carbon monoxide alarms, published in June 2018.
Answered by Baroness Bloomfield of Hinton Waldrist
In 2019, the Office for Product Safety and Standards examined a small sample of carbon monoxide and smoke alarms for compliance with safety requirements. It found that nine out of ten were compliant and the remaining carbon monoxide product was over-sensitive which did not give rise to safety concerns.
UK product safety legislation requires products, including carbon monoxide alarms, to be safe before they can be sold to consumers. Where the installation of carbon monoxide alarms is required by law or recommended, Government advice is that they should comply with British Standard BS EN 50291.
Asked by: Elliot Colburn (Conservative - Carshalton and Wallington)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the level of carbon monoxide emissions from the Viridor energy recovery facility incinerator on Beddington Lane in South London during January 2020.
Answered by Rebecca Pow - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Environment Agency (EA) regulates the Energy Recovery Facility (Erf) in Beddington Lane, Sutton through an Environmental Permit under the Environmental Permitting Regulations 2010. The permit has strict conditions relating to acceptable levels of emissions of substances. The ErF operator (Viridor) is required to continuously and periodically monitor the emissions from the Erf stacks and submit the monitoring data quarterly to the EA.
The EA assesses all data submitted including breaches in emission limits for trends and requires the operator to investigate issues and take actions to rectify them.
The quarterly monitoring data that covers January 2020 is due to be submitted to the EA before end of April 2020. The EA have not received any notifications for breaches in emission limits during January 2020.