Asked by: Charles Walker (Conservative - Broxbourne)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 8 February 2024 to Question 12888 on Workplace Pensions, for what reason the findings of that work will not be published.
Answered by Paul Maynard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
I would refer the Hon. Gentleman to the previous response. It is not convention to disclose policy discussions between Ministers and officials as a matter of course.
Asked by: Lloyd Russell-Moyle (Labour (Co-op) - Brighton, Kemptown)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether the Health and Safety Executive has plans to update its guidance on workplace transmission of blood borne viruses.
Answered by Paul Maynard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE), is the regulator of workplace health and safety and publishes guidance aimed to assist employers in controlling workplace risks, including those from blood-borne viruses where this is relevant to their work activities.
HSE’s approach to developing guidance is led by intelligence to ensure it remains appropriate. Whilst there is no evidence to suggest changes to workplace risks, HSE is currently working with experts from scientific advisory committees to review the guidance and will update it as necessary in due course.
Asked by: Charlotte Nichols (Labour - Warrington North)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps he is taking to tackle pension irregularities in the Defence Fire Rescue Project.
Answered by John Glen - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
The Cabinet Office, acting as the Civil Service Pension Scheme Manager, has met on a number of occasions with representatives of Unite the Union (Unite), Capita Land Services and MyCSP to discuss issues surrounding Pensionable Pay for members of the Defence Fire and Rescue Services that were transferred to Capita Fire and Rescue. The work is expected to be completed no later than July 2024.
Asked by: Paul Blomfield (Labour - Sheffield Central)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of providing additional financial support to higher education institutions to help meet the cost of the teachers’ pension scheme.
Answered by Robert Halfon
Higher education providers (HEPs) are autonomous bodies, and the government does not fund the cost of changes to the scheme for them in the same way as for schools and colleges. The department expects HEPs to continue to adapt to uncertainties and financial risks to protect their longer-term sustainability.
The government will continue to work with the higher education sector to explore how it can best support those providers affected, including planning effectively for implementation. The department is also keen to maintain an ongoing dialogue with HEPs.
Asked by: Kwasi Kwarteng (Conservative - Spelthorne)
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 support people with disabilities that impact their ability to work.
Answered by Mims Davies - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Government has a wide range of initiatives to support disabled people and people with health conditions to start, stay and succeed in work. These include:
Building on existing provision and the £2 billion investment announced at the Spring Budget 2023, we announced a new package of support in Autumn Statement 2023. This includes:
From 2025, we are reforming the Work Capability Assessment (WCA) to reflect new flexibilities in the labour market and greater employment opportunities for disabled people and people with health conditions, whilst maintaining protections for those with the most significant conditions. Alongside these changes, a new Chance to Work Guarantee will effectively remove the WCA for most existing claimants who have already been assessed without work-related requirements removing the fear of reassessment and giving this group the confidence to try work.
People on low, or no income or earnings, who have a health condition or disability which restricts the amount of work they can do or prevents them from working altogether, and where they meet the entitlement criteria, can claim Universal Credit and/or New Style Employment and Support Allowance with medical evidence, usually a valid Statement of Fitness for work, commonly known as a ‘fit note’, from a clinician.
Asked by: Chris Stephens (Scottish National Party - Glasgow South West)
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 comply with principle (d) of schedule 1 of the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999.
Answered by Paul Maynard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
On joining DWP, all members of staff must complete a DSE assessment, which will highlight any special requirements specific to their role. Members of staff are then required to revisit this assessment every 3 years or at any time their circumstances change.
DWP endeavours to provide a contemporary and safe working environment, which meets the requirements of the Approved Documents (Building Regulations) in England and their equivalents in the devolved nations. We also follow the guiding principles of a variety of government specifications e.g. Publicly Available Specification 3000 for ‘Smart Working’ (PAS300), which recommends the use of a range of different work settings throughout a typical day to encourage movement, collaboration, and wellbeing. As well as the Government Property Agency’s Workplace Design Guidance.
The Department also has a Reasonable Adjustment Process for complex needs. This can include changes to the physical environment, alternative working patterns, or changes to work tasks.
Any changes to the way people are expected to work that might introduce significant new risk are identified and their impact considered against existing DWP health and safety policies and procedures.
DWP Health and Safety Impact Assessments are designed to give step by step support to programmes and projects who may introduce new risk. They provide a framework to help identify hazards and who might be harmed and enables DWP to record what needs to be done to reduce the risk to an acceptable level. It is mandatory for use by new programmes and projects with managers consulting with Trade Union representatives during the process.
Asked by: Patricia Gibson (Scottish National Party - North Ayrshire and Arran)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps are being taken to ensure the accurate calculation of pensions for eligible individuals in the context of the McCloud remedy.
Answered by Laura Trott - Chief Secretary to the Treasury
The Public Service Pensions and Judicial Offices Act 2022 (the Act) provides remedy for discrimination that arose when new public service pensions schemes were introduced between 2014 and 2016. The Act provides that members must be provided with a remediable service statement which provides detailed information about their pension benefits, including any corrections to lump sum benefits, pension benefits or contributions required by the Act. The Act and HM Treasury directions specify the information that must be provided in the remediable service statement. Scheme Managers are responsible for complying with the requirements of the Act and Treasury Directions, and providing accurate information.
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, whether she has made an estimate of the number of people on long-term sick leave as of 7 February 2024.
Answered by Mims Davies - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Department does not hold data on individuals who are currently taking a long-term sickness absence.
However, the Department’s 2019 ‘Health in the Workplace’ publication showed that in the previous 12 months, 1.4m working aged people (aged 16-64) in the UK had a total of 1.8m spells of long term (lasting 4 weeks or more) sickness absences. This analysis uses the cross-sectional Annual Population Survey (APS) January 2018 – December 2018.
The publication can be found here.
Asked by: Christine Jardine (Liberal Democrat - Edinburgh West)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent steps he has taken to ensure pension remediation for public sector workers affected by the McCloud judgement.
Answered by Laura Trott - Chief Secretary to the Treasury
The Public Service Pensions and Judicial Offices Act 2022 provides remedy for discrimination that arose when new public service pensions schemes were introduced between 2014 and 2016. The remedy has two main elements: older “legacy” pension schemes were closed as of 1 April 2022 to equalise future accrual in newer “reformed” schemes; and, from 1 October 2023 all affected members are being given a choice at retirement (or within 18 months of 1 October 2023 for those who have already retired) as to whether to receive legacy or reformed scheme benefits for the remedy period.
Asked by: Sarah Dyke (Liberal Democrat - Somerton and Frome)
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 improve workplace safety on farms.
Answered by Paul Maynard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
The safety and health of people at work in agriculture is a concern to the Heath and Safety Executive (HSE) and the industry. HSE has a long-term strategy to drive up industry ownership of the challenge and influence farmer behaviour. Since 2018 we have had an annual programme of delivering training to farmers in advance of targeted proactive inspection. This sits alongside specific interventions on transport, cattle, and falls: the three main areas responsible for farm workplace deaths. HSE continues engagement activity with a full range of stakeholders through the Farm Safety Partnerships. The latest work has covered child safety, management of cattle in fields with public rights of way, safe use of quad bikes and farm transport. HSE regularly holds formal consultation with the industry about its initiatives through an industry advisory committee.