Found: E9 6LL [By email] 27 January 2025 Dear Yinan Zhu, Make Work Pay: Scrutiny of the Employment Rights Bill

Found: Square; London E20 1JN [By email] 27 January 2025 Dear Nikhil Rathi, Make Work Pay: Employment Rights Bill

Found: Commons London SW1A 0AA 17 January 2025 Dear Mr Byrne, Make Work Pay: Employment Rights Bill

Found: London SW1A 0AA By email 20 January 2025 Dear Mr Byrne, Make Work Pay: Scrutiny of the Employment Rights Bill

Found: Employment Rights Bill.

Found: employers, trade unions and industry bodies to ensure the effective implementation of the Employment Rights Bill

Found: implemented in the new Labour government’s plan to Make Work Pay and upcoming reforms to the Employment Rights Bill

Found: create legally- binding Fair Pay Agreement through the measures and structures in the 2024 Employment Rights Bill

Found: £11,800, to pay for recruitment, visa and travel costs.19 Oxfam GB welcomes the government’s Employment Rights Bill

Found: consensus for the longer-term reform needed to create a sustainable National Care Service.1 The Employment Rights Bill

Found: Research Report, 2023 11 ADASS, ADASS Autumn Survey,2023proposal contained in the government’s Employment Rights Bill

Found: The government’s own impact assessment on the Employment Rights Bill goes some way to acknowledging

Found: relationship-between-mobility-and-falls-in-the-hospital-setting 9 https://www.carersuk.org/press-releases/carers-uk-responds-to-new-employment-rights-bill-plans

Found: The recently-introduced Employment Rights Bill establishes a framework for the FPA, through which an

Found: submission was submitted to The Business and Trade Committee’s inquiry into Make Work Pay: Employment Rights Bill

Found: and increasing economic growth as it has begun to do in the impact assessment of the 2024 Employment Rights Bill

Found: government and we look forward to working with the Government on its Fair Pay Agreement and Employment Rights Bill

Found: ERB0083 - Make Work Pay: Employment Rights Bill Mitie Written Evidence

Found: ERB0055 - Make Work Pay: Employment Rights Bill University of Bristol, University of Bristol, University

Found: ERB0062 - Make Work Pay: Employment Rights Bill Universities and Colleges Employers Association (UCEA

Found: ERB0061 - Make Work Pay: Employment Rights Bill Jobs Foundation Written Evidence

Found: ERB0063 - Make Work Pay: Employment Rights Bill World Afro Day CIC Written Evidence

Found: ERB0071 - Make Work Pay: Employment Rights Bill ASLEF Written Evidence

Found: ERB0072 - Make Work Pay: Employment Rights Bill British Standards Institution Written Evidence

Found: ERB0070 - Make Work Pay: Employment Rights Bill IPSE - The Self-Employment Association Written Evidence

Found: ERB0084 - Make Work Pay: Employment Rights Bill Institute of Directors Written Evidence

Found: ERB0086 - Make Work Pay: Employment Rights Bill The Law Society Written Evidence

Found: ERB0085 - Make Work Pay: Employment Rights Bill Federation of Small Businesses Written Evidence

Found: ERB0023 - Make Work Pay: Employment Rights Bill Workstyle Revolution CIC Written Evidence

Found: ERB0022 - Make Work Pay: Employment Rights Bill ShareAction Written Evidence

Found: ERB0021 - Make Work Pay: Employment Rights Bill Bupa Global, India & UK Written Evidence

Found: ERB0045 - Make Work Pay: Employment Rights Bill Benenden Health Written Evidence

Found: ERB0044 - Make Work Pay: Employment Rights Bill World Wellbeing Movement Written Evidence

Found: ERB0083 - Make Work Pay: Employment Rights Bill Mitie Written Evidence

Found: ERB0081 - Make Work Pay: Employment Rights Bill Greene King Written Evidence

Found: ERB0082 - Make Work Pay: Employment Rights Bill University of Leeds Written Evidence

Found: ERB0050 - Make Work Pay: Employment Rights Bill Care England Written Evidence

Found: ERB0046 - Make Work Pay: Employment Rights Bill Manchester Metropolitan University Written Evidence

Found: ERB0059 - Make Work Pay: Employment Rights Bill The Adecco Group Written Evidence

Found: ERB0060 - Make Work Pay: Employment Rights Bill Food and Drink Federation Written Evidence

Found: ERB0069 - Make Work Pay: Employment Rights Bill Make UK Written Evidence

Found: ERB0068 - Make Work Pay: Employment Rights Bill School of Law, University of Glasgow, and School of Law

Found: ERB0067 - Make Work Pay: Employment Rights Bill Usdaw Written Evidence

Found: ERB0087 - Make Work Pay: Employment Rights Bill British Chambers of Commerce Written Evidence

Found: ERB0088 - Make Work Pay: Employment Rights Bill Employment Law Sub-Committee at the Law Society of Scotland

Found: ERB0089 - Make Work Pay: Employment Rights Bill The Investment Association Written Evidence

Found: ERB0004 - Make Work Pay: Employment Rights Bill The Fawcett Society Written Evidence

Found: ERB0005 - Make Work Pay: Employment Rights Bill Protect Written Evidence

Found: ERB0007 - Make Work Pay: Employment Rights Bill Brunel University of London, and University of Leicester

Found: ERB0028 - Make Work Pay: Employment Rights Bill British Retail Consortium Written Evidence

Found: ERB0027 - Make Work Pay: Employment Rights Bill UKHospitality Written Evidence

Found: ERB0011 - Make Work Pay: Employment Rights Bill University of Surrey Written Evidence

Found: ERB0009 - Make Work Pay: Employment Rights Bill WONKHE Written Evidence

Found: ERB0010 - Make Work Pay: Employment Rights Bill CILEX Written Evidence

Found: ERB0033 - Make Work Pay: Employment Rights Bill Young Lives vs Cancer Written Evidence

Found: ERB0034 - Make Work Pay: Employment Rights Bill Edapt Written Evidence

Found: ERB0032 - Make Work Pay: Employment Rights Bill The Magistrates' Association Written Evidence

Found: ERB0017 - Make Work Pay: Employment Rights Bill Centre for the Transformation of Work, Edinburgh Business

Found: ERB0016 - Make Work Pay: Employment Rights Bill Evri Written Evidence

Found: ERB0015 - Make Work Pay: Employment Rights Bill Domestic Angels Written Evidence

Found: ERB0035 - Make Work Pay: Employment Rights Bill Social Care Institute for Excellence (SCIE) Written Evidence

Found: ERB0037 - Make Work Pay: Employment Rights Bill University of Reading Written Evidence

Found: ERB0036 - Make Work Pay: Employment Rights Bill HC-one Written Evidence

Found: ERB0003 - Make Work Pay: Employment Rights Bill Ekō Written Evidence

Found: ERB0025 - Make Work Pay: Employment Rights Bill Nottingham Trent University, Nottingham Trent University

Found: ERB0026 - Make Work Pay: Employment Rights Bill University of Bristol Written Evidence

Found: ERB0024 - Make Work Pay: Employment Rights Bill The Open University, University of Essex, Brunel University

Found: ERB0014 - Make Work Pay: Employment Rights Bill Local Government Association Written Evidence

Found: ERB0006 - Make Work Pay: Employment Rights Bill Centre for Progressive Change Written Evidence

Found: ERB0012 - Make Work Pay: Employment Rights Bill Freelancers Make Theatre Work Written Evidence

Found: ERB0013 - Make Work Pay: Employment Rights Bill Scouts Written Evidence

Found: ERB0048 - Make Work Pay: Employment Rights Bill Organise Written Evidence

Found: ERB0047 - Make Work Pay: Employment Rights Bill National Bereavement Alliance Written Evidence

Found: ERB0049 - Make Work Pay: Employment Rights Bill Department of Media, Communications and Cultural Studies

Found: ERB0056 - Make Work Pay: Employment Rights Bill Centre for Care - University of Sheffield Written Evidence

Found: ERB0057 - Make Work Pay: Employment Rights Bill National Care Forum Written Evidence

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether their Department offers its staff shared parental leave from their first working day.

Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)

The Department for Work and Pensions applies the statutory eligibility criteria for shared parental leave, which includes the parent or parents we employ working for at least 26 weeks up to a relevant date. DWP does not offer its staff shared parental leave from their first working day, with the possible exception of existing civil servants who join DWP with continuous/linked service in another government department.

As with any changes to employment legislation, internal policies and processes will be updated as appropriate in preparation for when the Employment Rights Bill 2024 comes into effect.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of improving paternity leave provisions on health disparities in lower-income families.

Answered by Justin Madders - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)

The government is committed to supporting working families and is already delivering on this commitment. The Employment Rights Bill will make Paternity Leave and Unpaid Parental Leave ‘day one’ rights, increasing flexibility for families and helping them to better balance work and family responsibilities.

The government has also committed to a review of the whole parental leave system. This review will assess the effectiveness of the current system across a range of metrics, ensuring it offers the best possible support to working families. Work is already underway on planning for its delivery.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if he will make an assessment of the potential implications for his policies of trends in the level of uptake of Shared Parental Leave.

Answered by Justin Madders - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)

The government is committed to supporting working families and is already delivering on this commitment. The Employment Rights Bill will make Paternity Leave and Unpaid Parental Leave ‘day one’ rights, increasing flexibility for families and helping them to better balance work and family responsibilities.

The government has also committed to a review of the whole parental leave system. This review will assess the effectiveness of the current system across a range of metrics, ensuring it offers the best possible support to working families. Work is already underway on planning for its delivery.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if he will make an assessment of the potential implications for his policies of the potential impact of extending the statutory minimum paternity leave on (a) early childhood development and (b) reliance on formal childcare in a child's first year.

Answered by Justin Madders - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)

The government is committed to supporting working families and is already delivering on this commitment. The Employment Rights Bill will make Paternity Leave and Unpaid Parental Leave ‘day one’ rights, increasing flexibility for families and helping them to better balance work and family responsibilities.

The government has also committed to a review of the whole parental leave system. This review will assess the effectiveness of the current system across a range of metrics, ensuring it offers the best possible support to working families. Work is already underway on planning for its delivery.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if he will make an assessment of the potential implications for his policies of the potential lessons learned from the parental leave policies of other countries in the OECD.

Answered by Justin Madders - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)

The government is committed to supporting working families and is already delivering on this commitment. The Employment Rights Bill will make Paternity Leave and Unpaid Parental Leave ‘day one’ rights, increasing flexibility for families and helping them to better balance work and family responsibilities.

The government has also committed to a review of the whole parental leave system. This review will assess the effectiveness of the current system across a range of metrics, ensuring it offers the best possible support to working families. Work is already underway on planning for its delivery.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of the statutory minimum level of paternity leave on the economy.

Answered by Justin Madders - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)

The government is committed to supporting working families and is already delivering on this commitment. The Employment Rights Bill will make Paternity Leave and Unpaid Parental Leave ‘day one’ rights, increasing flexibility for families and helping them to better balance work and family responsibilities.

The government has also committed to a review of the whole parental leave system. This review will assess the effectiveness of the current system across a range of metrics, ensuring it offers the best possible support to working families. Work is already underway on planning for its delivery.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether her Department offers protection to staff from unfair dismissal from their first working day.

Answered by Nicholas Dakin - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury

The Ministry of Justice has comprehensive people policies in place to protect staff from unfair dismissal. These policies set out a clear, fair and legally compliant process for dealing with conduct, attendance, performance and failed probation related dismissals. These policies are applicable to Ministry of Justice staff from day one of employment.

All dismissals are handled in line with current legislation and appropriate Codes of Practice. Where an employee feels they may have been unfairly dismissed, appropriate internal appeal routes may be instigated. Where an employee is unable to solve a problem internally, they may be able to go to an employment tribunal to claim unfair dismissal, as set out in legislation.

This position will be reviewed when unfair dismissal rights are updated in line with proposals in the Employment Rights Bill.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether her Department offers paternity leave to its staff from their first working day.

Answered by Nicholas Dakin - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury

The Ministry of Justice does not offer employees paternity leave from their first day of employment. The Department’s policy on paternity leave aligns with statutory entitlements. To qualify for paternity leave, employees must have worked continuously for the Civil Service for at least 26 weeks up to the 'qualifying week'. The qualifying week is set out in the Paternity and Adoption Leave Regulations 2002 and is different depending on whether an employee is adopting, is the partner of a birth parent, or is having a child through surrogacy.

As with any changes to employment legislation, internal policies and processes will be updated as appropriate in preparation for when the Employment Rights Bill 2024 comes into effect.

Question to the Attorney General:

To ask the Solicitor General, whether her Department offers paternity leave to its staff from their first working day.

Answered by Lucy Rigby - Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)

The Attorney General’s Office receives shared HR services from the Government Legal Department (GLD) and the criteria for applying for paternity leave is that the individual must have worked for GLD for at least 26 continuous weeks or immediately prior to the 15th week before the baby’s due date (where there is a pregnancy) and for adoption, either by the end of the week they are matched with the child (UK adoptions) or the date the child enters the UK or when they want their pay to start (overseas adoptions).

Some staff could qualify for statutory paternity leave on their first day of service with their department because they already have qualifying service with another Civil Service organisation.

Under the Employment Rights Bill currently before Parliament, subject to Parliamentary approval paternity leave will become a day one right across the Civil Service.

As with any changes to employment legislation, internal policies and processes will be updated as appropriate in preparation for when the Employment Rights Bill 2024 comes into effect.

Question to the Scotland Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, whether their Department offers its staff shared parental leave from their first working day.

Answered by Kirsty McNeill - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Scotland Office)

No. The Civil Service Management Code states that, ‘Departments and agencies may only grant shared parental leave in accordance with the statutory requirements governing eligibility for this category of leave.’ However, some staff could qualify for statutory shared parental leave on their first day of service with a particular department because they already have service with another department.

As with any changes to employment legislation, internal policies and processes will be updated as appropriate in preparation for when the Employment Rights Bill 2024 comes into effect.

It may be helpful to explain that the Scotland Office does not employ staff directly. All staff that join do so on an assignment, loan or secondment from other Government bodies, principally the Scottish Government and the Ministry of Justice, who remain the employers and determine the terms and conditions for their employees.

Question to the Scotland Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, whether his Department offers protection to staff from unfair dismissal from their first working day.

Answered by Kirsty McNeill - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Scotland Office)

All dismissals are handled in line with current legislation and appropriate Codes of Practice. Where an employee feels they may have been unfairly dismissed, appropriate internal appeal routes may be instigated.

Where an employee is unable to solve a problem internally they may be able to go to an employment tribunal to claim unfair dismissal, as set out in legislation.

This position will be reviewed when unfair dismissal rights are updated in line with proposals in the Employment Rights Bill.

It may be helpful to explain that the Scotland Office does not employ staff directly. All staff that join do so on an assignment, loan or secondment from other Government bodies, principally the Scottish Government and the Ministry of Justice, who remain the employers and determine the terms and conditions for their employees.

Question to the Attorney General:

To ask the Solicitor General, whether her Department offers its staff shared parental leave from their first working day.

Answered by Lucy Rigby - Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)

The Attorney General’s Office does not offer its staff shared parental leave from their first working day. The Civil Service Management Code states that, ‘Departments and agencies may only grant shared parental leave in accordance with the statutory requirements governing eligibility for this category of leave’.

However, some staff could qualify for statutory shared parental leave on their first day of service with a particular department because they already have service with another department.

As with any changes to employment legislation, internal policies and processes will be updated as appropriate in preparation for when the Employment Rights Bill 2024 comes into effect.

Question to the Scotland Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, whether his Department offers paternity leave to its staff from their first working day.

Answered by Kirsty McNeill - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Scotland Office)

The Scotland Office does not employ staff directly. All staff that join do so on an assignment, loan or secondment from other Government bodies, principally the Scottish Government and the Ministry of Justice, who remain the employers and determine the terms and conditions for their employees.

As with any changes to employment legislation, internal policies and processes will be updated as appropriate in preparation for when the Employment Rights Bill 2024 comes into effect.

Question to the Attorney General:

To ask the Solicitor General, whether his Department offers protection to staff from unfair dismissal from their first working day.

Answered by Lucy Rigby - Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)

All dismissals are handled in line with current legislation and appropriate Codes of Practice. Where an employee feels they may have been unfairly dismissed, appropriate internal appeal routes may be instigated.

Where an employee is unable to solve a problem internally they may be able to go to an employment tribunal to claim unfair dismissal, as set out in legislation.

This position will be reviewed when unfair dismissal rights are updated in line with proposals in the Employment Rights Bill.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether her Department offers its staff shared parental leave from their first working day.

Answered by Nicholas Dakin - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury

The Ministry of Justice does not offer employees shared parental leave from their first day of employment.

The Department’s shared parental leave policy aligns with the statutory provisions. To be eligible for leave, employees must meet the continuity of employment test, and the employment and earnings test set out in the Shared Parental Leave Regulations 2014.

For the continuity of employment test, an employee must have worked for the same employer for at least 26 weeks by the end of the 15th week before their baby is due or their adoption match date.

For the employment and earnings test, an employee and their partner must have worked for at least 26 of 66 weeks before the expected birth date or adoption match date.

There are other criteria an employee must meet relating to sharing the caring responsibilities for a child.

As with any changes to employment legislation, internal policies and processes will be updated as appropriate in preparation for when the Employment Rights Bill 2024 comes into effect.

Question to the Wales Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, whether their Department offers its staff shared parental leave from their first working day.

Answered by Jo Stevens - Secretary of State for Wales

My Department is not an employer in its own right and the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) provides the Wales Office with employment services and HR policies, such as Shared Parental Leave.

The Civil Service Management Code states that, ‘Departments and agencies may only grant shared parental leave in accordance with the statutory requirements governing eligibility for this category of leave.’ Some staff could qualify for statutory shared parental leave on their first day of service because they already have service with another department.

As with any changes to employment legislation, internal policies and processes will be updated as appropriate in preparation for when the Employment Rights Bill 2024 comes into effect.

Question to the Wales Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, whether her Department offers paternity leave to its staff from their first working day.

Answered by Jo Stevens - Secretary of State for Wales

My Department is not an employer in its own right and the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) provides the Wales Office with employment services and HR policies, such as Paternity Leave.

Some staff could qualify for statutory paternity leave on their first day of service because they already have qualifying service with another Civil Service organisation.

As with any changes to employment legislation, internal policies and processes will be updated as appropriate in preparation for when the Employment Rights Bill 2024 comes into effect.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether their Department offers its staff shared parental leave from their first working day.

Answered by Catherine West - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) is committed to supporting its employees in balancing their work and family responsibilities. The FCDO offers Shared Parental Leave (SPL) to all eligible staff, providing them with the flexibility to share parental responsibilities from the very beginning of their employment.

As with any changes to employment legislation, internal policies and processes will be updated as appropriate in preparation for when the Employment Rights Bill 2024 comes into effect.

Question to the Wales Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, whether her Department offers protection to staff from unfair dismissal from their first working day.

Answered by Jo Stevens - Secretary of State for Wales

All dismissals are handled in line with current legislation and appropriate Codes of Practice. Where an employee feels they may have been unfairly dismissed, appropriate internal appeal routes may be instigated.

Where an employee is unable to solve a problem internally, they may be able to go to an employment tribunal to claim unfair dismissal, as set out in legislation.

This position will be reviewed when unfair dismissal rights are updated in line with proposals in the Employment Rights Bill.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department offers paternity leave to its staff from their first working day.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

Paternity leave is offered from the first working day for employees. Those who have been employed for less than 26 weeks are entitled to one week, and those employed for more than 26 weeks continuously are entitled to two weeks. Those who have worked for another Government Department prior to their arrival at the Department may be eligible for two weeks paternity leave from their first working day.

As with any changes to employment legislation, internal policies and processes will be updated as appropriate in preparation for when the Employment Rights Bill 2024 comes into effect.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether their Department offers its staff shared parental leave from their first working day.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

Shared parental leave is not offered as standard from the first working day for the Department’s employees. The Civil Service Management Code states that shared parental leave may only be granted in accordance with statutory requirements governing eligibility for this category of leave. However, some staff could qualify for statutory shared parental leave on their first day of service with a particular Department because they already have service with another Department.

The Department complies with the United Kingdom’s law, which dictates that employees and their partners, with whom they share primary responsibility for the child, must have been employed by their respective employer for at least 26 weeks continuously by the end of the 15th week before the expected week of childbirth or adoption.

As with any changes to employment legislation, internal policies and processes will be updated as appropriate in preparation for when the Employment Rights Bill 2024 comes into place.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department offers protection to staff from unfair dismissal from their first working day.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Department has defined unfair dismissal to occur where no fair reason has been provided to justify the dismissal, resulting in a breach of contract.

All dismissals are handled in line with current legislation and the Department’s policies and procedures. Employees who are new to the Civil Service are subject to a probationary period of between one and six months, depending on the type of appointment. During this time, employees are made aware that they are being assessed for their suitability for the role. Employees may only be terminated before the end of their probation in exceptional cases of poor performance, or for gross misconduct.

Where an employee feels they may have been unfairly dismissed, appropriate internal appeal routes may be instigated. Where an employee is unable to solve a problem internally, they may be able to go to an employment tribunal to claim unfair dismissal, as set out in legislation.

This position will be reviewed when unfair dismissal rights are updated in line with proposals in the Employment Rights Bill. This position will be reviewed when unfair dismissal rights are updated in line with proposals in the Employment Rights Bill.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department offers paternity leave to its staff from their first working day.

Answered by Catherine West - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) is committed to supporting its employees in balancing their work and family responsibilities. The FCDO offers paternity leave to all eligible staff, providing them with the flexibility to take time off to support their partners and care for their newborns from the very beginning of their employment

As with any changes to employment legislation, internal policies and processes will be updated as appropriate in preparation for when the Employment Rights Bill 2024 comes into effect.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps her Department is taking to encourage people with physical illnesses to work from home.

Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

Backed by £240m investment, the Get Britain Working White Paper launched on 26 November will drive forward approaches to tackling economic inactivity and work toward the long-term ambition of an 80% employment rate.

As part of the Get Britain Working plans the Government is launching Keep Britain Working, an independent review into the role of UK employers in reducing health-related inactivity and to promote healthy and inclusive workplaces.

Appropriate work is generally good for health and wellbeing, so we want everyone to get work and get on in work, whoever they are and wherever they live. We want people to avoid poverty, and for this to happen we must ensure that disabled people and people with health conditions have the opportunity to work and save for as long as they wish and are able to.

Disabled people and people with health conditions are a diverse group so access to the right work and health support, in the right place, at the right time, is key. Through the Employment Rights Bill we are taking steps to improve the Right to Request Flexible Working so that an application is only refused if it is not reasonably feasible. Flexible working can include home working.

Employers play a key role in increasing employment opportunities and supporting disabled people and people with health conditions, to thrive as part of the workforce. Our support to employers includes increasing access to Occupational Health, and the Disability Confident scheme.

We also have a range of specialist initiatives to support individuals to stay in work and get back into work, including those that join up employment and health systems. Measures include support from Work Coaches and Disability Employment Advisers in Jobcentres and Access to Work grants, as well as joining up health and employment support around the individual through Employment Advisors in NHS Talking Therapies and Individual Placement and Support in Primary Care.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of sexual harassment laws.

Answered by Jess Phillips - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)

Everyone has the right to both feel safe and be safe going about their day-to-day lives. That is why tackling sexual harassment is an important part of this Government’s mission to halve violence against women and girls (VAWG) in a decade.

There is a range of legislation that addresses sexual harassment. This includes offences in the Protection from Harassment Act 1997, Public Order Act 1986 and more recently, the Protection from Sex-Based Harassment Act 2023, which we are progressing for implementation.

We are strengthening protections against workplace sexual harassment through the Employment Rights Bill. It will require employers to take “all reasonable steps” to prevent sexual harassment of their employees and introduce an obligation on employers not to permit the harassment of their employees by third parties.

As with all legislation, the Government will continue to keep sexual harassment legislation under review.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether he has made an assessment of the potential impact of repealing the Trade Union Act 2016 on the use of leverage campaigns in industrial disputes.

Answered by Justin Madders - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)

The Government published an impact assessment on 21 October 2024, setting out its assessment of the expected impacts of the repeal of the Trade Union Act 2016 via the Employment Rights Bill.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to page 4 of her Department's College of Experts recruitment pack, published in December 2024, whether strengthening and consolidating employment rights is a formal Ministerial responsibility of her Department.

Answered by Alex Norris - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

Strengthening employment rights is a key priority across Government. The Deputy Prime Minister is the Chair of the Future of Work Cabinet Committee, which is responsible for considering and taking decisions on matters related to the Make Work Pay package of reforms to the Employment Law framework. The Deputy Prime Minister is working closely with the Department for Business and Trade, and other government departments, to deliver the Employment Rights Bill. There has been no change to formal departmental responsibilities.

Found: Report Stage: Wednesday 29 January 2025 Employment Rights Bill, As Amended (Amendment Paper) This

Found: Report Stage: Tuesday 28 January 2025 Employment Rights Bill, As Amended (Amendment Paper) This document

Found: Employment Rights Bill [AS AMENDED IN PUBLIC BILL COMMITTEE] CONTENTS PART 1 EMPLOYMENT RIGHTS Zero

Found: Employment Rights Bill [AS AMENDED IN PUBLIC BILL COMMITTEE] CONTENTS PART 1 EMPLOYMENT RIGHTS Zero

Found: Report Stage: Monday 27 January 2025 Employment Rights Bill (Amendment Paper) This document lists

Found: Report Stage: Friday 24 January 2025 Employment Rights Bill (Amendment Paper) This document lists

Found: Report Stage: Thursday 23 January 2025 Employment Rights Bill (Amendment Paper) This document lists

Found: Report Stage: Wednesday 22 January 2025 Employment Rights Bill (Amendment Paper) This document lists

Found: Letter dated 16/01/2024 from Justin Madders MP to Greg Smith MP regarding the Employment Rights Bill

Found: Letter dated 16/01/2025 from Justin Madders MP to Greg Smith MP regarding the Employment Rights Bill

Found: Act 1974 in relation to the sexual harassment measures within the Employment Rights Bill, as discussed

Found: We look forward to engaging on the proposed UK Bills, including the Employment Rights Bill and the Equality

Found: Work principles and the UK legal employment framework, for example the recently announced Employment Rights Bill

Found: Employment Rights Bill: Letter to UK Government

Found: co-chairs to ask them to consider the challenges and opportunities linked to upcoming UK Employment Rights Bill