Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the number of workers who work more than their contracted hours.

Answered by Baroness Lloyd of Effra - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

There are no official data sources that provide readily available estimates of the number of contracted hours across the whole labour market. The Office for National Statistics regularly publishes estimates of the number of people on zero hours contracts, where all hours worked are additional to contracted hours: https://www.ons.gov.uk/employmentandlabourmarket/peopleinwork/employmentandemployeetypes/datasets/emp17peopleinemploymentonzerohourscontracts.

The government has published a comprehensive assessment of the potential impacts of the zero hours contract measures in the Employment Rights Act 2025: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/employment-rights-bill-impact-assessments. We will publish further analysis in due course as we implement those measures.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask His Majesty's Government what consideration they have given to setting the fines for employers that break rules on trade union access to the workplace as a percentage of global turnover.

Answered by Baroness Lloyd of Effra - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

In our consultation, Make Work Pay: trade union right of access, we sought views on several elements of the new statutory access framework, including on the way that the policy is enforced.

Officials are carefully reviewing all responses, and the government will publish a response in due course. This will include next steps on the enforcement model.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask His Majesty's Government what steps are being taken to safeguard the right of trade union access to workplaces in the warehousing and logistics sector.

Answered by Baroness Lloyd of Effra - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

In our consultation, Make Work Pay: trade union right of access, we sought views on several elements of the new statutory access framework, including steps the Central Arbitration Committee (CAC) must consider reasonable for employers to take to facilitate access, as well as the details on the enforcement mechanism. These will apply to the warehousing and logistics sector.

Officials are currently reviewing all responses, and the government will publish a response before finalising these details in secondary legislation.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that workers are able to meet their trade union in an accessible location when their trade union is granted access to the workplace.

Answered by Baroness Lloyd of Effra - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

In our consultation, Make Work Pay: trade union right of access, we sought views on operational aspects of the new statutory access framework, including steps the Central Arbitration Committee (CAC) must consider reasonable for employers to take to facilitate access.

Officials are currently reviewing responses, and the government will publish a response before finalising these details in secondary legislation.

We will also consult on a draft Code of Practice in due course which will provide detail on how statutory access should operate in different types of workplaces.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government what measures they are taking to ensure the National Year of Reading 2026 has a long-term, positive legacy, extending beyond this year.

Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

The National Year of Reading 2026 aims to make lasting change to the reading habits of the nation to address the decline in reading for pleasure and unlock one of the most powerful tools for equity and opportunity: a love of reading that lasts a lifetime. The campaign aims for lasting impact by engaging new audiences, making reading relevant, transforming practice, and building infrastructure. For example, we are providing £5 million of funding for secondary schools to purchase books to encourage reading for pleasure.

The National Year of Reading is grounded in both existing evidence and new research, conducted by an external research agency. This is a critical component of the campaign, to ensure it is impactful and meaningful, both during the year and beyond.

There will also be an independent external evaluation of the National Year of Reading which will be published in 2027. The evaluation will examine how the campaign influences reading behaviours, connects with audiences and shapes attitudes towards reading, particularly among the campaign’s priority audiences, including teenage boys, the early years, and families from disadvantaged communities. It will also assess the wider impact on the literacy sector and the foundations for long-term change.

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