Wales Office written question – answered at on 10 July 2026.
Mims Davies
Shadow Secretary of State for Wales, Shadow Minister (Women)
To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what consideration has there been to promote BS 30480 Suicide and the Workplace standard in Wales.
Jo Stevens
The Secretary of State for Wales
BS 30480:2025 (Suicide and the Workplace – Intervention, prevention and support for people affected by suicide) is a voluntary British Standard published by the British Standards Institution (BSI) in November 2025. It provides guidance for organisations on suicide prevention, intervention, and support in workplace settings.
The BSI is the UK's National Standards Body, recognised by Government through a Memorandum of Understanding with the Department of Business and Trade (DBT). It develops Standards independently through a consensus-based process involving relevant stakeholders and technical experts.
The BS 30480 Standard is guidance rather than a regulatory requirement. Standards can be used by organisations as tools to support good practice, but decisions on adoption and implementation remain with the organisation concerned.
The BSI has undertaken awareness-raising activity in relation to BS 30480 following publication. This included a parliamentary launch event at Speaker's House in November 2025, supported by Baroness Merron, and BSI has also made the standard available free of charge on its website. The standard has been downloaded more than 11,000 times since publication.
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Secretary of State was originally the title given to the two officials who conducted the Royal Correspondence under Elizabeth I. Now it is the title held by some of the more important Government Ministers, for example the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs.
The Speaker is an MP who has been elected to act as Chairman during debates in the House of Commons. He or she is responsible for ensuring that the rules laid down by the House for the carrying out of its business are observed. It is the Speaker who calls MPs to speak, and maintains order in the House. He or she acts as the House's representative in its relations with outside bodies and the other elements of Parliament such as the Lords and the Monarch. The Speaker is also responsible for protecting the interests of minorities in the House. He or she must ensure that the holders of an opinion, however unpopular, are allowed to put across their view without undue obstruction. It is also the Speaker who reprimands, on behalf of the House, an MP brought to the Bar of the House. In the case of disobedience the Speaker can 'name' an MP which results in their suspension from the House for a period. The Speaker must be impartial in all matters. He or she is elected by MPs in the House of Commons but then ceases to be involved in party politics. All sides in the House rely on the Speaker's disinterest. Even after retirement a former Speaker will not take part in political issues. Taking on the office means losing close contact with old colleagues and keeping apart from all groups and interests, even avoiding using the House of Commons dining rooms or bars. The Speaker continues as a Member of Parliament dealing with constituent's letters and problems. By tradition other candidates from the major parties do not contest the Speaker's seat at a General Election. The Speakership dates back to 1377 when Sir Thomas Hungerford was appointed to the role. The title Speaker comes from the fact that the Speaker was the official spokesman of the House of Commons to the Monarch. In the early years of the office, several Speakers suffered violent deaths when they presented unwelcome news to the King. Further information can be obtained from factsheet M2 on the UK Parliament website.
An intervention is when the MP making a speech is interrupted by another MP and asked to 'give way' to allow the other MP to intervene on the speech to ask a question or comment on what has just been said.
