Asked by: Marquess of Lothian (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to their response to the First Joint Report of the Committees on Arms Export Controls Session 2022–23 Developments in UK Strategic Export Controls, published in January 2023 (CP 775), when, if at all, they intend to review whether their arms and equipment export licences to Israel meet the criteria contained in that response; and what assurances they have received from the government of Israel that those arms exports will not be used to violate international humanitarian law in Gaza.
Answered by Lord Offord of Garvel - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
We are monitoring the situation in Israel and Gaza very closely. All export licences are assessed against the Strategic Export Licensing Criteria and are kept under careful and continual review as standard.
As part of the Government’s robust arms export control regime we periodically review advice on Israel’s capability and overall commitment to comply with International Humanitarian Law, which includes a range of evidence. Ministers act in accordance with that advice.
Asked by: Marquess of Lothian (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask His Majesty's Government what is the detection rate for underpayment of the National Minimum Wage by employers; what incentives there are to ensure that employers comply with the National Minimum Wage; and what action they are taking to enforce compliance with, and to prevent underpayment of, the National Minimum Wage.
Answered by Earl of Minto - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
In 2021/22, HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) concluded over 2,800 minimum wage investigations and returned more than £16.3m in arrears to over 120,000 workers. HMRC issued 696 fines totalling £13.2m to businesses who had failed to pay the minimum wage. Where there has been an underpayment, HMRC will instruct the employer to pay workers the arrears owed, and a penalty of up to 200% of arrears.
HMRC’s Promote team issued 7.8 million advisory notices to workers, employers, and their agents increasing awareness of the rules. Since 2015, the Government has ordered employers to repay over £100 million to over 1 million workers.