To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, with reference
to the research by the Chartered Institute of Building entitled Understanding Mental
Health in the Built Environment, published on 11 May 2020, and the research by Mates
in Mind and The Institute for Employment Studies entitled Supporting the mental health
of self-employed construction workers, published in June 2022, what recent assessment
he has made of the potential impact of procurement demands on the mental health of
workers in (a) construction industry supply chains and (b) other parts of the construction
industry.
<p>The Government is committed to working to improve health and safety, as well as
mental and occupational health in the construction sector, to enable the sector to
recruit and retain the workforce that it needs in future. This work is being taken
forward through the Construction Leadership Council’s Health, Safety and Wellbeing
Group, which brings together the Health and Safety Executive, industry representatives
and trade unions to develop and circulate best practice and practical guidance for
the industry.</p><p> </p><p>The Government is also aware that procurement and contractual
practices in the sector can have an impact on mental health. The Government has set
out its commitment to improving procurement processes, and ensure there are fair and
transparent payment and contractual provisions in relation to government construction
projects and programmes in the Construction Playbook.</p>
