Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether Matthew Taylor's independent review into modern employment practices will consider whether those moving from employee positions to self-employment are being driven by positive choice or through market forces.

The wide ranging independent Review of Employment Practices in the Modern Economy is considering how employment rules need to change to keep pace with changes in the way people work in the modern economy, including the rapid recent growth in self-employment and the shift in business practice from hiring to contracting.

The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy has commissioned new research looking specifically at the gig economy. It will look at the number of individuals working in the gig economy in the UK and the motivations, experiences and skills of these individuals. The research should be ready in the Summer.