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1690788

	registered interest
	date	21/02/2024
	answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
	answering dept id	29
	answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
	answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
	hansard heading	Department for Work and Pensions: Health and Safety
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	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.
	tabling member constituency	Glasgow South West
	tabling member printed	Chris Stephens
	uin	15110
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 26/02/2024 answer text <p><strong> </strong></p><p>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.</p><p> </p><p>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.</p><p> </p><p>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.</p><p> </p><p>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.</p><p> </p><p>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.</p> answering member constituency Blackpool North and Cleveleys answering member printed Paul Maynard question first answered 26/02/2024 15:39:21 answering member 3926 label Biography information for Paul Maynard
	tabling member	4463 label Biography information for Chris Stephens

1688568

	registered interest
	date	08/02/2024
	answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
	answering dept id	29
	answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
	answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
	hansard heading	Department for Work and Pensions: Health and Safety
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether all (a) buildings and (b) workplaces staff from their Department occupy have a suitable and sufficient risk assessment under Section 3 of the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999.
	tabling member constituency	Glasgow South West
	tabling member printed	Chris Stephens
	uin	13752
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/02/2024 answer text <p>The Department for Work and Pensions has suitable and sufficient risk assessments in place across the Department in accordance with Section 3 of the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999.</p><p> </p><p>There is a suite of generic risk assessments, which include building and people related hazards, used to manage and mitigate people safety risks across the Department. Where hazards are identified for a certain process or procedure not captured within the generic documents, these are included via specific risk assessments.</p><p> </p><p>Suitable and sufficient risk assessments relating to the DWPs estate are completed whenever significant hazards are identified or where risk assessment is required by statute.</p> answering member constituency Blackpool North and Cleveleys answering member printed Paul Maynard question first answered 19/02/2024 14:19:37 answering member 3926 label Biography information for Paul Maynard
	tabling member	4463 label Biography information for Chris Stephens

1653351

	registered interest
	date	17/07/2023
	answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
	answering dept id	29
	answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
	answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
	hansard heading	Psilocybin
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether he has made an assessment of the potential impact of psilocybin on the (a) health and (b) ability to work of people with long term health conditions; and whether his Department is taking steps to support research into these areas.
	tabling member constituency	Reigate
	tabling member printed	Crispin Blunt
	uin	194307
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/07/2023 answer text <p>No assessment has been made by the Department for Work and Pensions of the potential impact of psilocybin on the health, or ability to work, of disabled people and people with long-term health conditions.</p><p> </p><p>The National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), funded by the Department of Health and Social Care, welcomes funding applications for research into any aspect of human health. This includes the potential impact of psilocybin on the health and ability to work of people with long-term health conditions. Applications are subject to peer review and judged in open competition, with awards being made on the basis of the importance of the topic to patients and health and care services, value for money and scientific quality.</p> answering member constituency Corby answering member printed Tom Pursglove question first answered 20/07/2023 10:20:01 answering member 4369 label Biography information for Tom Pursglove
	tabling member	104 label Biography information for Crispin Blunt

1648624

	registered interest
	date	28/06/2023
	answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
	answering dept id	29
	answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
	answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
	hansard heading	Weed Control: Health and Safety
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether the Health and Safety Executive plans to publish guidance on the use of drones to spray bracken.
	tabling member constituency	North Herefordshire
	tabling member printed	Sir Bill Wiggin
	uin	191517
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 06/07/2023 answer text <p>The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) does not plan to publish guidance on the use of drones to spray bracken with pesticides.</p><p> </p><p>HSE already accepts requests to permit the application of pesticides by drones and information is provided on HSE’s website, with potential applicants advised to contact HSE directly.</p> answering member constituency Mid Sussex answering member printed Mims Davies question first answered 06/07/2023 08:47:04 answering member 4513 label Biography information for Mims Davies
	tabling member	1428 label Biography information for Sir Bill Wiggin

1626653

	registered interest
	date	10/05/2023
	answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
	answering dept id	29
	answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
	answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
	hansard heading	Department for Work and Pensions: Holiday Leave
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will make an assessment of the potential implications of the Employment Appeal Tribunal ruling in the 2017 case of Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council v Willetts & Ors for the calculation of holiday pay entitlement for staff in her Department; and if he will make a statement.
	tabling member constituency	Glasgow South West
	tabling member printed	Chris Stephens
	uin	184423
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 16/05/2023 answer text <p>The DWP is committed to making statutory holiday payments in respect of relevant overtime payments to colleagues and significant work is being undertaken to implement a solution to include relevant overtime payments in holiday pay calculations for affected staff.</p><p> </p><p>We are working at pace with our payroll provider and other partners and whilst progress is being made, I acknowledge this is taking longer than expected and understand that the delay is causing concern. We will confirm to colleagues when it is able to implement the anticipated changes. Finally, I would like to reassure you that the Department is doing all that it can to implement a solution as soon as is practicable.</p> answering member constituency Mid Sussex answering member printed Mims Davies question first answered 16/05/2023 16:20:35 answering member 4513 label Biography information for Mims Davies
	tabling member	4463 label Biography information for Chris Stephens

1606776

	registered interest
	date	23/03/2023
	answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
	answering dept id	29
	answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
	answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
	hansard heading	Industrial Accidents
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether his Department consulted (a) health and safety representatives and (b) trade unions on the decision made by Sodexo to change the default setting on the SOARS accident reporting system to one where staff have to opt in to send details of any accident to local health and safety representatives.
	tabling member constituency	Glasgow South West
	tabling member printed	Chris Stephens
	uin	172447
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 28/03/2023 answer text <p>There have been no changes to the default preferences. The process remains that TUH&amp;S representatives should receive a copy of all accident reports, these can be anonymised if the individual reporting requests it.</p> answering member constituency Mid Sussex answering member printed Mims Davies grouped question UIN 172448 question first answered 28/03/2023 16:23:19 answering member 4513 label Biography information for Mims Davies
	tabling member	4463 label Biography information for Chris Stephens

1606777

	registered interest
	date	23/03/2023
	answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
	answering dept id	29
	answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
	answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
	hansard heading	Industrial Accidents
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of trends in the level of reporting of accidents owing to changes in the default preferences under the SOARS reporting system; and what assessment he has made of the impact of those trends on the Department's compliance with Regulation 4(a) of the Safety Representatives and Safety Committees Regulations in regard to safety representatives examining the causes of accidents in the workplace.
	tabling member constituency	Glasgow South West
	tabling member printed	Chris Stephens
	uin	172448
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 28/03/2023 answer text <p>There have been no changes to the default preferences. The process remains that TUH&amp;S representatives should receive a copy of all accident reports, these can be anonymised if the individual reporting requests it.</p> answering member constituency Mid Sussex answering member printed Mims Davies grouped question UIN 172447 question first answered 28/03/2023 16:23:19 answering member 4513 label Biography information for Mims Davies
	tabling member	4463 label Biography information for Chris Stephens

1588605

	registered interest
	date	23/02/2023
	answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
	answering dept id	29
	answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
	answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
	hansard heading	Department for Work and Pensions: Disability
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps they have taken in their Department to operate the Disability Confident employer scheme for those seeking a lateral transfer; and how many and what proportion of candidates who declared themselves as having a disability and who applied under that scheme where (a) interviewed and (b) laterally transferred in (i) 2021 and (ii) 2022.
	tabling member constituency	Glasgow South West
	tabling member printed	Chris Stephens
	uin	151320
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 28/02/2023 answer text <p>DWP is a Disability Confident Leader and all our campaigns advertised on Civil Service Jobs, externally or across the Civil Service, carry the Disability Confident Logo. We are committed to offering an interview to any disabled candidate, internal or external, who applies for these campaigns under the Disability Confident Scheme and meets the minimum criteria for the role.</p><p> </p><p>To respond to changing resourcing requirements, and enable career development moves, DWP does provide opportunities for its employees to move internally on a lateral basis across the department where appropriate before advertising vacancies on CS Jobs. Advertising internal opportunities to move laterally is not mandatory but where these opportunities are advertised, we operate the Disability Confident Scheme which enables eligible candidates that apply under the scheme to progress to the interview stage if they meet the minimum requirements for the role. As most internal opportunities are advertised locally, using manual processes rather than CS Jobs, we are only able to provide limited numerical data.</p><p> </p><p>The table below shows the number of DWP candidates applying for internal or Cross Government roles advertised on CS Jobs who have declared themselves as having a disability, or who applied under the Guaranteed Interview Scheme. We cannot identify who is applying on a level move, just those who have replied ‘no’ to the question 'are you applying on promotion'. This may include a very small number of people who have applied for a role at a lower grade, though this is extremely rare.</p><p> </p><table><tbody><tr><td><p><strong>Internal Recruitment Campaigns Only </strong>*</p></td><td><p><strong>2021</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>2022</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Applications received from DWP candidates who <strong>declared</strong> themselves as having a disability, <strong>or</strong> who applied under the Guaranteed Interview Scheme.</p></td><td><p>95</p></td><td><p>256</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Number of the above candidates who were successful at sift stage and invited to interview.</p></td><td><p>19 (20.0%)</p></td><td><p>71 (27.7%)</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Number of the above candidates who were successful at interview stage and made an offer.</p></td><td><p>12 (12.6%)</p></td><td><p>Redacted **</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p><strong>.</strong><strong>* </strong>Applications made by internal DWP candidates for internally advertised DWP / Cross Government vacancies advertised on CS Jobs. Please note we cannot identify who is applying on a lateral move, just those who have replied ‘no’ to the question 'are you applying on promotion'. This may include a very small number of people who have applied for a role at a lower grade, though this is extremely rare. ** Numbers are low and have been redacted to prevent the risk of individuals being identified.</p> answering member constituency Mid Sussex answering member printed Mims Davies question first answered 28/02/2023 13:16:23 answering member 4513 label Biography information for Mims Davies
	tabling member	4463 label Biography information for Chris Stephens

1588194

	registered interest
	date	22/02/2023
	answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
	answering dept id	29
	answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
	answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
	hansard heading	Department for Work and Pensions: Disability
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps they have taken to operate a disability confident scheme for those seeking promotion in their Department; and how many and what proportion of those candidates who declared themselves as having a disability and who applied under the scheme were (a) interviewed and (b) promoted in (i) 2021 and (ii) 2022.
	tabling member constituency	Glasgow South West
	tabling member printed	Chris Stephens
	uin	150533
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 27/02/2023 answer text <p>In line with the commitment made in the Civil Service Workforce Plan all DWP recruitment has been ‘External by Default’ since August 2020. It is therefore departmental policy that all permanent vacancies, including those that would result in promotion for an existing employee, are advertised externally unless there is clear rationale for not doing so.</p><p> </p><p>To comply with CS Commission Recruitment Principles, our external recruitment is Fair, Open and Merit based and as a Disability Confident Leader all our advertised campaigns, internal or external, carries the Disability Confident Logo to make this clear to applicants. We are committed to offering an interview to any disabled candidate, internal or external, who applies under the Disability Confident Scheme and meets the minimum criteria for the role.</p><p> </p><p>It is only within internal recruitment exercises, where candidates are asked if they are applying on promotion, as such, we only hold data on promotion figures for internally advertised campaigns.</p><p> </p><p>The figures in the table show the number of DWP candidates who declared themselves as having a disability, or who applied for internal vacancies under the Guaranteed Interview Scheme, and their progression through the recruitment process.</p><p> </p><p> </p><table><tbody><tr><td><p><strong>Internal Recruitment Campaigns Only </strong>(applying on promotion) **</p></td><td><p><strong>2021</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>2022</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Applications received from DWP candidates who <strong>declared</strong> themselves as having a disability, <strong>or</strong> who applied under the Guaranteed Interview Scheme.</p></td><td><p><strong>152</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>244</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Number of the above candidates who were successful at sift stage and invited to interview.</p></td><td><p><strong>28</strong> (18.4%)</p></td><td><p><strong>37</strong> (15.2%)</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Number of the above candidates who were successful at interview stage and made an offer.</p></td><td><p><strong>9</strong> (5.9%)</p></td><td><p><strong>6</strong> (2.5%)</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p><strong>.</strong><strong>** </strong>Applications made by internal DWP candidates for internally advertised DWP / Cross Government vacancies, on promotion.</p> answering member constituency Mid Sussex answering member printed Mims Davies question first answered 27/02/2023 18:49:59 answering member 4513 label Biography information for Mims Davies previous answer version 58181 answering member constituency Mid Sussex answering member printed Mims Davies answering member 4513 label Biography information for Mims Davies
	tabling member	4463 label Biography information for Chris Stephens

1580713

	registered interest
	date	25/01/2023
	answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
	answering dept id	29
	answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
	answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
	hansard heading	Department for Work and Pensions: Holiday Leave
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether his Department has notified staff to (a) tell or (b) remind them that they can sell annual leave in the last four months.
	tabling member constituency	Glasgow South West
	tabling member printed	Chris Stephens
	uin	132467
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 03/02/2023 answer text <p>DWP has an existing facility for colleagues to exchange untaken contractual leave for payment in the last month of their annual leave year. There is no consistent annual leave year for colleagues across DWP.</p><p> </p><p>From 4 January to 31 January 2023, DWP is running a specific exercise where colleagues can voluntarily request a payment for a maximum of five days of untaken contractual annual leave that they do not want to take, regardless of when their annual leave year ends. Colleagues cannot request to be paid for statutory leave.</p><p> </p><p>Taking part in the exercise is completely voluntary, employees physical and mental wellbeing remains a key priority for the department, and everyone is encouraged to use their annual leave to relax and recuperate wherever possible.</p><p> </p><p>Colleagues were informed of this opportunity 4 January 2023, and reminders were issued 13, 25 and 27 January 2023.</p> answering member constituency Mid Sussex answering member printed Mims Davies question first answered 03/02/2023 14:30:03 answering member 4513 label Biography information for Mims Davies
	tabling member	4463 label Biography information for Chris Stephens