Andy McDonald Portrait

Andy McDonald

Labour - Middlesbrough

First elected: 29th November 2012


Lifelong Learning (Higher Education Fee Limits) Bill
15th Mar 2023 - 23rd Mar 2023
Shadow Secretary of State for Employment Rights
6th Apr 2020 - 27th Sep 2021
Shadow Secretary of State for Transport
27th Jun 2016 - 6th Apr 2020
Shadow Minister (Transport)
7th Jan 2016 - 27th Jun 2016
Justice Committee
26th Oct 2015 - 13th Jun 2016
Justice Committee
10th Dec 2012 - 30th Mar 2015


Division Voting information

During the current Parliament, Andy McDonald has voted in 695 divisions, and 1 time against the majority of their Party.

14 Dec 2021 - Public Health - View Vote Context
Andy McDonald voted No - against a party majority and against the House
One of 22 Labour No votes vs 124 Labour Aye votes
Tally: Ayes - 385 Noes - 100
View All Andy McDonald Division Votes

Debates during the 2019 Parliament

Speeches made during Parliamentary debates are recorded in Hansard. For ease of browsing we have grouped debates into individual, departmental and legislative categories.

Sparring Partners
Kevin Hollinrake (Conservative)
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
(31 debate interactions)
Paul Scully (Conservative)
(29 debate interactions)
Simon Clarke (Conservative)
(12 debate interactions)
View All Sparring Partners
Department Debates
Department for Transport
(46 debate contributions)
Cabinet Office
(21 debate contributions)
View All Department Debates
View all Andy McDonald's debates

Middlesbrough Petitions

e-Petitions are administered by Parliament and allow members of the public to express support for a particular issue.

If an e-petition reaches 10,000 signatures the Government will issue a written response.

If an e-petition reaches 100,000 signatures the petition becomes eligible for a Parliamentary debate (usually Monday 4.30pm in Westminster Hall).

Petition Debates Contributed

We demand the Government restore England’s publicly funded, publicly provided NHS by reversing all privatising legislation, ending ongoing PFI contracts, and scrapping plans for Integrated Care Systems and for-profit US-style ‘managed care’.


Latest EDMs signed by Andy McDonald

11th March 2024
Andy McDonald signed this EDM on Monday 18th March 2024

Alleged comments by Frank Hester

Tabled by: Dawn Butler (Labour - Brent Central)
That this House expresses its shock regarding the alleged comments made by Frank Hester reported by The Guardian about the hon. Member for Hackney North and Stoke Newington and all Black women; believes these alleged comments to be both racist and violent in nature; notes that Mr Hester is a …
60 signatures
(Most recent: 18 Mar 2024)
Signatures by party:
Labour: 34
Scottish National Party: 12
Liberal Democrat: 9
Social Democratic & Labour Party: 2
Conservative: 1
Independent: 1
Alba Party: 1
Green Party: 1
Alliance: 1
6th March 2024
Andy McDonald signed this EDM on Monday 11th March 2024

Cost of living payment at National Museums Liverpool

Tabled by: Kim Johnson (Labour - Liverpool, Riverside)
That this House fully supports the staff at National Museums Liverpool (NML) engaging in strike action in an ongoing dispute over pay; notes that last year 206 employers in the public sector agreed to pay each worker a one-off £1,500 payment to part-compensate for inflation rises and hardship caused by …
21 signatures
(Most recent: 13 Mar 2024)
Signatures by party:
Labour: 16
Independent: 3
Scottish National Party: 1
Democratic Unionist Party: 1
View All Andy McDonald's signed Early Day Motions

Commons initiatives

These initiatives were driven by Andy McDonald, and are more likely to reflect personal policy preferences.

MPs who are act as Ministers or Shadow Ministers are generally restricted from performing Commons initiatives other than Urgent Questions.


1 Urgent Question tabled by Andy McDonald

Wednesday 24th February 2021

Andy McDonald has not been granted any Adjournment Debates

2 Bills introduced by Andy McDonald


A Bill to amend the Criminal Appeal Act 1995 to make provision about supplementary powers for the Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC) to secure information from public bodies; and for connected purposes.

Commons - 20%

Last Event - 1st Reading: House Of Commons
Thursday 16th July 2015

A Bill to make provision about liability for negligence in relation to psychiatric illness; toamend the law relating to damages in respect of personal injuries and death; and forconnected purposes.

Commons - 20%

Last Event - 1st Reading: House Of Commons
Tuesday 13th October 2015

Latest 50 Written Questions

(View all written questions)
Written Questions can be tabled by MPs and Lords to request specific information information on the work, policy and activities of a Government Department
3 Other Department Questions
17th Jun 2020
To ask the hon. Member for Perth and North Perthshire, representing the House of Commons Commission, whether the House has in accordance with Regulation 9(b) of the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 2013 kept records of every case of a staff member and MP who has contracted covid-19 in Parliament and reported them to the Health and Safety Executive; and whether all breaches of the regulations and of Government guidance in Parliament have been reported to the Health and Safety Executive and/or relevant officer of Westminster City Council.

There have been no reports of any covid-19 related incident which would require reporting under Regulation 9(b) of the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 2013.

If there is reason to believe that a causal occupational link has been established in relation to any person who develops covid-19 in connection with work on the parliamentary estate, the incident will be reported as per legislation and appropriate records maintained.

All reported accidents, incidents or work-related ill health where the Clerk of the House is a duty holder are reported to the Health and Safety Executive as required by the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 2013.

17th Jun 2020
To ask the hon. Member for Perth and North Perthshire, representing the House of Commons Commission, if the Commission will publish the covid-19 risk assessment of Parliament undertaken by the House authorities with Public Health England before Parliament reconvened on 2 June 2020.

The risk assessment was published on 28th May and can be accessed at the following link on the UK Parliament transparency pages.

17th Jun 2020
To ask the hon. Member for Perth and North Perthshire, representing the House of Commons Commission, what plans the Commission has to (a) test and (b) trace the contacts of (i) staff and (ii) hon. Members in the event that a member of staff or hon. Member contracts covid-19.

Responsibility for and access to testing and tracing is a matter for the Department of Health and Social Care and the relevant public health body.

The House of Commons Commission continues to work closely with the public health agencies and has put in place arrangements to support any requests made by these agencies as part of the contracting tracing process.

24th May 2023
To ask the Prime Minister, if he will seek the advice of the Independent Adviser on Ministers’ Interests on the conduct of the honourable Member for Bishop Auckland.

No. I refer the hon. Member to the letter to him from the DLUHC Permanent Secretary on this issue. More broadly, on the issue of Teesworks, I would also refer him to the Written Ministerial Statement of 25 May 2023 (HCWS813).

Rishi Sunak
Prime Minister, First Lord of the Treasury, Minister for the Civil Service, and Minister for the Union
13th Jul 2021
To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the oral contribution of the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy of 27 April 2021, Official Report, column 86WH, on the Government's policy on the inappropriate use by some employers of fire and rehire as a negotiation tactics, what steps his Department has taken to (a) investigate the use of and (b) discourage the use of fire and rehire negotiation tactics by executive non-departmental public bodies; and what steps he has taken to communicate the Government's policy on those practices to those bodies.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to PQ 15260 on 17 June 2021.

Julia Lopez
Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
11th Mar 2021
To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will take steps to review the application of the Freedom of Information Act 2001 in designated freeports.

The government remains fully committed to transparency, and there are no plans to review the application of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 in designated freeports. Freeports are not deregulatory and the government will ensure the UK’s high standards with respect to security, safety, workers’ rights and the environment will not be compromised.

4th Feb 2021
To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether it is in the scope of the Taskforce on Innovation, Growth and Regulatory Reform (TIGRR) to consider or recommend changes to the 48-hour week protections, rest breaks at work and inclusion of overtime pay when calculating some holiday pay entitlements.

The Prime Minister has asked the Taskforce on Innovation, Growth and Regulatory Reform to generate recommendations for how the UK can take advantage of its newfound regulatory freedom.


The Terms of Reference for the Taskforce have been published, here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/taskforce-on-innovation-growth-and-regulatory-reform/taskforce-on-innovation-growth-and-regulatory-reform-tigrr-terms-of-reference

Penny Mordaunt
Lord President of the Council and Leader of the House of Commons
4th Feb 2021
To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether it is within the scope of the Taskforce on Innovation, Growth and Regulatory Reform’s (TIGRR) Terms of Reference to consider changes to working time regulations derived from the Working Time Directive.

The Prime Minister has asked the Taskforce on Innovation, Growth and Regulatory Reform to generate recommendations for how the UK can take advantage of its newfound regulatory freedom.


The Terms of Reference for the Taskforce have been published, here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/taskforce-on-innovation-growth-and-regulatory-reform/taskforce-on-innovation-growth-and-regulatory-reform-tigrr-terms-of-reference

Penny Mordaunt
Lord President of the Council and Leader of the House of Commons
27th Feb 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if she will take steps to review the application of employment law to renewable energy installations within the UK Exclusive Economic Zone for seafarers working out of UK ports.

The Government is currently reviewing the application of employment law to renewable energy installations. We will continue to review the needs of the renewable energy sector and its workforce - and take action when needed - as we progress towards reaching Net Zero by 2050.

The Seafarers Wages Bill, which is currently progressing through Parliament, will mean (when law) that those seafarers who call regularly (at least 120 times a year) at UK ports will be entitled to an equivalent of the National Minimum Wage. This would include those seafarers working on ships to and from offshore renewable platforms.

Kevin Hollinrake
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
17th Jan 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many workplace (a) inspections and (b) investigations were carried out by the (i) Employment Standards Agency Inspectorate, (ii) HMRC National Minimum Wage Enforcement Team, (iii) Health and Safety Executive and (iv) the Gangmaster Labour Abuse Authority for the yearly reporting period 2020-21.

In the yearly reporting period 2020-21, the Employment Agency Standards Inspectorate closed 177 inspections and 1,800 investigations (complaint-based cases).

The HMRC National Minimum Wage Enforcement Team closed 2,740 cases.

The Health and Safety Executive carried out 14,880 inspections and 14,426 investigations (8,026 of which were workplace concerns raised by employees, members of the public or others; 6,189 were non-fatal accidents; 211 were fatalities). HSE also conducted over 182,700 spot checks to ensure workplace premises were Covid-secure.

The Gangmaster and Labour Abuse Authority carried out a total of 221 inspections (157 application inspections and 64 compliance inspections). The GLAA conducted 476 investigations in total, 380 of these were led by the GLAA and the remaining 96 were led by other agencies and supported by the GLAA.

17th Jan 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many front-line enforcement officers there were in the (a) HMRC National Minimum Wage Enforcement Team, (b) Health and Safety Executive and (c) Gangmaster Labour Abuse Authority in 2020-21.

In 2020-21 HMRC National Minimum Wage Enforcement Team had 420 full time equivalents at year end.

The Health and Safety Executive does not distinguish between ‘front line’ and non ‘front line’ enforcement roles. However, for the year 2020-21 HSE employed 953 warrant-holding staff in all grades and roles, including trainees, managers and specialists.

As of March 2021, the Gangmaster and Labour Abuse Authority had 63 frontline officers.

17th Jan 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will publish the number of prosecutions for non-payment of the national minimum wage by region in Financial Year (a) 2019-20 and (b) 2020-21.

This Government takes the enforcement of the minimum wage seriously. Paying the minimum wage is not optional, it’s the law.

Our priority has always been to ensure that workers receive the money they are owed as quickly as possible. It is for this reason, in the vast majority of cases, HMRC pursue civil enforcement. However, for the most egregious breaches of National Minimum Wage law, where employers are persistently non-compliant, or refuse to cooperate with HMRC, criminal prosecution may take place.

The Government published prosecution numbers for non-payment of the NMW by area in the 2019-20 Enforcement and Compliance report which can be found in Table 12 here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/964238/nmw-e-c-report-tables-2019-2020.xlsx.

The figures for 2020-21 will be published in due course.

3rd Sep 2021
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what plans the Government has to respond to the observation in June 2019 by the International Labour Organization’s Committee of Experts on the Application of Conventions and Recommendations that the impact of sections 16 to 20 of the Trade Union Act 2016 should be reviewed with relevant social partners.

The Government undertook a consultation (‘Trade Union Act 2016: Consultation on the Certification Officer’s enforcement powers’) which gave relevant stakeholders the opportunity to comment on proposals. The Government’s response was published earlier this year.

The planned reforms will make the Certification Officer a more effective regulator, with powers and funding more in line with similar bodies. This proper and fair regulation, which is fully compliant with international obligations, will enhance transparency and improve standards for the benefit of union members and the wider public.

14th Jul 2021
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, with reference to the oral contribution of the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy of 27 April 2021, Official Report, column 86WH, what steps have been taken by the Department to (a) investigate the use of fire and rehire tactics by executive non-departmental public bodies, (b) communicate the Government's policy on fire and rehire tactics to those bodies and (c) discourage the use of fire and rehire tactics by those bodies.

Non-departmental public bodies (NDPBs) have a role in the process of national government but are not part of a government department. They operate at arm’s length from Ministers, though a Minister will be responsible to Parliament for the NDPBs.

Although we have not targeted NDPBs specifically in our communications, this Government has been clear that we expect all employers to treat their employees fairly and in the spirit of partnership. Using threats about firing and rehiring as a negotiation tactic is unacceptable. We expect employers and employees to negotiate new terms and conditions and there are laws around how this must be done, and protections in place when firms are considering redundancies.

Last year, we asked the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service (Acas) to collect evidence into how fire and rehire is being used by employers. This report was published on 8 June. We have asked Acas to produce better, more comprehensive, clearer guidance to help all employers explore all the options before considering ‘fire and rehire’ and encourage good employment relations practice. This will be relevant to all employers.

14th Jun 2021
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what the budget was for the Certification Officer for the financial years beginning 1 April (a) 2017, (b) 2018, (c) 2019 and (d) 2020.

The Certification Office cost: £883,370 in the year commencing 1 April 2017; £1,103,037 in the year commencing 1 April 2018; £1,097,132 in the year commencing 1 April 2019; and £1,079,812 in the year commencing 1 April 2020.

The Certification Office budget for the year commencing 1 April 2021 has not yet formally been allocated. The Certification Office anticipates that the total cost of the office will be approximately £1,100,000.

The Government’s latest estimate is that the office will cost approximately £1,150,000 in the year commencing 1 April 2022. This figure includes an adjustment to account for the costs associated with implementing the additional powers granted to the Certification Officer by the Trade Union Act 2016, which are due to come into force from April 2022.

14th Jun 2021
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what the expected budget is for the Certification Officer for the financial year 2021-22.

The Certification Office cost: £883,370 in the year commencing 1 April 2017; £1,103,037 in the year commencing 1 April 2018; £1,097,132 in the year commencing 1 April 2019; and £1,079,812 in the year commencing 1 April 2020.

The Certification Office budget for the year commencing 1 April 2021 has not yet formally been allocated. The Certification Office anticipates that the total cost of the office will be approximately £1,100,000.

The Government’s latest estimate is that the office will cost approximately £1,150,000 in the year commencing 1 April 2022. This figure includes an adjustment to account for the costs associated with implementing the additional powers granted to the Certification Officer by the Trade Union Act 2016, which are due to come into force from April 2022.

14th Jun 2021
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what estimate his Department has made of the annual budget for the Certification Officer for the financial year starting on 1 April 2022.

The Certification Office cost: £883,370 in the year commencing 1 April 2017; £1,103,037 in the year commencing 1 April 2018; £1,097,132 in the year commencing 1 April 2019; and £1,079,812 in the year commencing 1 April 2020.

The Certification Office budget for the year commencing 1 April 2021 has not yet formally been allocated. The Certification Office anticipates that the total cost of the office will be approximately £1,100,000.

The Government’s latest estimate is that the office will cost approximately £1,150,000 in the year commencing 1 April 2022. This figure includes an adjustment to account for the costs associated with implementing the additional powers granted to the Certification Officer by the Trade Union Act 2016, which are due to come into force from April 2022.

11th Mar 2021
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether ACAS has completed its work into fire and rehire practices; on what date ACAS shared its insights with officials at his Department; if he will publish the ACAS report’s findings; and on what date he plans to publish the Government’s response to that report’s findings.

The Department engaged ACAS to gather evidence of how fire and rehire is being used and they have concluded their work.

ACAS engaged with a range of groups, including employer bodies and trade unions, as well as professional bodies with advisory contact with employers, such as employment lawyers, accountants, and payroll services.

Officials are now giving this evidence due consideration, and the Government will communicate our response in due course.

10th Mar 2021
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether he plans to remove meter readers from the list of people permitted to work in other people's homes during the covid-19 outbreak.

The Government guidance on the current national restrictions enables tradespeople, such as meter readers and smart meter installers, to work in peoples’ homes if it is a necessary part of their job. The Government is clear that businesses in certain sectors can remain open if they can adhere to Safer Working guidance. When visiting peoples’ homes, tradespeople should follow the guidance and take appropriate Covid-19 secure precautions.

10th Mar 2021
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what recent discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues on trades union recognition within freeports.

Freeports are not deregulatory and the government will ensure that the UK’s high standards with respect to workers’ rights will not be compromised. Therefore the UK’s trade union rights will apply to freeports.

The UK takes a voluntarist approach in relation to industrial relations. Collective bargaining is largely a matter for individual employers, their employees and their trade unions. It is therefore for individual employers to decide whether they wish to recognise a trade union for collective bargaining purposes.

28th Jan 2021
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many workplace inspections were carried out by the (a) Employment Standards Agency Inspectorate, (b) HMRC National Minimum Wage Enforcement Team, (c) Health and Safety Executive and (d) the Gangmaster Labour Abuse Authority for the yearly reporting period 2019-20.

Please see responses to each request for information in the table below:

Body

Number of workplace inspections in 2019/20[1]

Number of investigations in 2019/20

Number of frontline enforcement officers in 2019/20

Classification of issues in 2019/20

Employment Agency Standards

303

1698[2]

18

Non-payment or withholding earnings, being charged to find work, contractual disputes, lack of clarity of deductions, advertising of roles, and failure to obtain either sufficient information from a hiring company or work-seeker.

HMRC National Minimum Wage

3300[3]

3300[4]

442

Non-payment of national minimum wage

Gangmasters and Labour Abuse Authority

214 inspections of applicants for licenses and licence holders[5] 390 investigation cases[6]

390

50

Civil cases- compliance with the GLAA licensing standards relating to relevant UK legislation governing the workplace and employer/worker relationships, forced labour, and employer responsibilities to Government - https://www.gla.gov.uk/media/5963/licensing-standards-october-2018-final-reprint-jan-2020.pdf Criminal cases: offences committed against the Gangmasters (Licensing) Act 2004, being unlicensed, using workers from unlicensed gangmasters, or the wider labour market offences including Modern Slavery.

Health and Safety Executive

13, 402

7,024[7]

980 (inc 498 Band 3 and 4 inspectors[8])

The Health and Safety Executive handled over 32,000 complaints for the yearly reporting period 2019-20 but HSE does not record the subject matter of the complaint.

[1] The enforcement bodies may take different approaches to workplace inspections and investigations depending on the type of offence being investigated.

[2] Number of complaints investigated.

[3] This number includes employer interview which could be in person or via phone or letter. HMRC triage cases to decide the type of intervention dependent on the level of risk of the case. Workplace inspections are not always appropriate as payroll records may be with agents or payroll providers.

[4] Number of investigations closed in 2019/20. Some investigations may have begun earlier.

[5] The number therefore relates to the number of cases, and not individual workplaces. In such civil inspections there may be a number of visits to premises where workers are supplied to.

[6] These related to investigations against Gangmasters (licensing) Act offences as well as cases involving other labour market offences, for which the GLAA exercises a wider authority in England and Wales. Those offences are defined in section 3(3) of the Immigration Act 2016, and include forced labour offences under the Modern Slavery Act 2015.

[7] Investigations of fatal and non-fatal incidents reported under the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 2013.

[8] Band 3 and 4 inspectors undertake the delivery of the operational division workplans, this includes inspections and investigations into reported incidents and concerns and where non-compliance with health and safety legislations is identified, the inspectors take regulatory action in accordance with our published Enforcement Policy Statement.

28th Jan 2021
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many investigations were carried out by the (a) Employment Standards Agency Inspectorate, (b) HMRC National Minimum Wage Enforcement Team, (c) Health and Safety Executive and (d) the Gangmaster Labour Abuse Authority for the yearly reporting period 2019-20.

Please see responses to each request for information in the table below:

Body

Number of workplace inspections in 2019/20[1]

Number of investigations in 2019/20

Number of frontline enforcement officers in 2019/20

Classification of issues in 2019/20

Employment Agency Standards

303

1698[2]

18

Non-payment or withholding earnings, being charged to find work, contractual disputes, lack of clarity of deductions, advertising of roles, and failure to obtain either sufficient information from a hiring company or work-seeker.

HMRC National Minimum Wage

3300[3]

3300[4]

442

Non-payment of national minimum wage

Gangmasters and Labour Abuse Authority

214 inspections of applicants for licenses and licence holders[5] 390 investigation cases[6]

390

50

Civil cases- compliance with the GLAA licensing standards relating to relevant UK legislation governing the workplace and employer/worker relationships, forced labour, and employer responsibilities to Government - https://www.gla.gov.uk/media/5963/licensing-standards-october-2018-final-reprint-jan-2020.pdf Criminal cases: offences committed against the Gangmasters (Licensing) Act 2004, being unlicensed, using workers from unlicensed gangmasters, or the wider labour market offences including Modern Slavery.

Health and Safety Executive

13, 402

7,024[7]

980 (inc 498 Band 3 and 4 inspectors[8])

The Health and Safety Executive handled over 32,000 complaints for the yearly reporting period 2019-20 but HSE does not record the subject matter of the complaint.

[1] The enforcement bodies may take different approaches to workplace inspections and investigations depending on the type of offence being investigated.

[2] Number of complaints investigated.

[3] This number includes employer interview which could be in person or via phone or letter. HMRC triage cases to decide the type of intervention dependent on the level of risk of the case. Workplace inspections are not always appropriate as payroll records may be with agents or payroll providers.

[4] Number of investigations closed in 2019/20. Some investigations may have begun earlier.

[5] The number therefore relates to the number of cases, and not individual workplaces. In such civil inspections there may be a number of visits to premises where workers are supplied to.

[6] These related to investigations against Gangmasters (licensing) Act offences as well as cases involving other labour market offences, for which the GLAA exercises a wider authority in England and Wales. Those offences are defined in section 3(3) of the Immigration Act 2016, and include forced labour offences under the Modern Slavery Act 2015.

[7] Investigations of fatal and non-fatal incidents reported under the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 2013.

[8] Band 3 and 4 inspectors undertake the delivery of the operational division workplans, this includes inspections and investigations into reported incidents and concerns and where non-compliance with health and safety legislations is identified, the inspectors take regulatory action in accordance with our published Enforcement Policy Statement.

28th Jan 2021
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many front-line enforcement officers there were in the (a) HMRC National Minimum Wage Enforcement Team, (b) Health and Safety Executive and (C) Gangmaster Labour Abuse Authority for the yearly reporting period 2019-20.

Please see responses to each request for information in the table below:

Body

Number of workplace inspections in 2019/20[1]

Number of investigations in 2019/20

Number of frontline enforcement officers in 2019/20

Classification of issues in 2019/20

Employment Agency Standards

303

1698[2]

18

Non-payment or withholding earnings, being charged to find work, contractual disputes, lack of clarity of deductions, advertising of roles, and failure to obtain either sufficient information from a hiring company or work-seeker.

HMRC National Minimum Wage

3300[3]

3300[4]

442

Non-payment of national minimum wage

Gangmasters and Labour Abuse Authority

214 inspections of applicants for licenses and licence holders[5] 390 investigation cases[6]

390

50

Civil cases- compliance with the GLAA licensing standards relating to relevant UK legislation governing the workplace and employer/worker relationships, forced labour, and employer responsibilities to Government - https://www.gla.gov.uk/media/5963/licensing-standards-october-2018-final-reprint-jan-2020.pdf Criminal cases: offences committed against the Gangmasters (Licensing) Act 2004, being unlicensed, using workers from unlicensed gangmasters, or the wider labour market offences including Modern Slavery.

Health and Safety Executive

13, 402

7,024[7]

980 (inc 498 Band 3 and 4 inspectors[8])

The Health and Safety Executive handled over 32,000 complaints for the yearly reporting period 2019-20 but HSE does not record the subject matter of the complaint.

[1] The enforcement bodies may take different approaches to workplace inspections and investigations depending on the type of offence being investigated.

[2] Number of complaints investigated.

[3] This number includes employer interview which could be in person or via phone or letter. HMRC triage cases to decide the type of intervention dependent on the level of risk of the case. Workplace inspections are not always appropriate as payroll records may be with agents or payroll providers.

[4] Number of investigations closed in 2019/20. Some investigations may have begun earlier.

[5] The number therefore relates to the number of cases, and not individual workplaces. In such civil inspections there may be a number of visits to premises where workers are supplied to.

[6] These related to investigations against Gangmasters (licensing) Act offences as well as cases involving other labour market offences, for which the GLAA exercises a wider authority in England and Wales. Those offences are defined in section 3(3) of the Immigration Act 2016, and include forced labour offences under the Modern Slavery Act 2015.

[7] Investigations of fatal and non-fatal incidents reported under the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 2013.

[8] Band 3 and 4 inspectors undertake the delivery of the operational division workplans, this includes inspections and investigations into reported incidents and concerns and where non-compliance with health and safety legislations is identified, the inspectors take regulatory action in accordance with our published Enforcement Policy Statement.

28th Jan 2021
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what classifications the issues investigated the by (a) Employment Standards Agency Inspectorate; (b) HMRC National Minimum Wage enforcement team; (c) Health and Safety Executive; and (d) Gangmaster Labour Abuse Authority fell under for the reporting period 2019/2020.

Please see responses to each request for information in the table below:

Body

Number of workplace inspections in 2019/20[1]

Number of investigations in 2019/20

Number of frontline enforcement officers in 2019/20

Classification of issues in 2019/20

Employment Agency Standards

303

1698[2]

18

Non-payment or withholding earnings, being charged to find work, contractual disputes, lack of clarity of deductions, advertising of roles, and failure to obtain either sufficient information from a hiring company or work-seeker.

HMRC National Minimum Wage

3300[3]

3300[4]

442

Non-payment of national minimum wage

Gangmasters and Labour Abuse Authority

214 inspections of applicants for licenses and licence holders[5] 390 investigation cases[6]

390

50

Civil cases- compliance with the GLAA licensing standards relating to relevant UK legislation governing the workplace and employer/worker relationships, forced labour, and employer responsibilities to Government - https://www.gla.gov.uk/media/5963/licensing-standards-october-2018-final-reprint-jan-2020.pdf Criminal cases: offences committed against the Gangmasters (Licensing) Act 2004, being unlicensed, using workers from unlicensed gangmasters, or the wider labour market offences including Modern Slavery.

Health and Safety Executive

13, 402

7,024[7]

980 (inc 498 Band 3 and 4 inspectors[8])

The Health and Safety Executive handled over 32,000 complaints for the yearly reporting period 2019-20 but HSE does not record the subject matter of the complaint.

[1] The enforcement bodies may take different approaches to workplace inspections and investigations depending on the type of offence being investigated.

[2] Number of complaints investigated.

[3] This number includes employer interview which could be in person or via phone or letter. HMRC triage cases to decide the type of intervention dependent on the level of risk of the case. Workplace inspections are not always appropriate as payroll records may be with agents or payroll providers.

[4] Number of investigations closed in 2019/20. Some investigations may have begun earlier.

[5] The number therefore relates to the number of cases, and not individual workplaces. In such civil inspections there may be a number of visits to premises where workers are supplied to.

[6] These related to investigations against Gangmasters (licensing) Act offences as well as cases involving other labour market offences, for which the GLAA exercises a wider authority in England and Wales. Those offences are defined in section 3(3) of the Immigration Act 2016, and include forced labour offences under the Modern Slavery Act 2015.

[7] Investigations of fatal and non-fatal incidents reported under the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 2013.

[8] Band 3 and 4 inspectors undertake the delivery of the operational division workplans, this includes inspections and investigations into reported incidents and concerns and where non-compliance with health and safety legislations is identified, the inspectors take regulatory action in accordance with our published Enforcement Policy Statement.

11th Jan 2021
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether the Government plans to update its guidance entitled Working safely during coronavirus (COVID-19) to include details on ventilation in workplaces following the discovery of the spread of the VUI-202012/01 strain of covid-19 in the UK.

The Working safely guidance was last updated on 6 January to reflect the new national lockdown. The guidance is kept under constant review based on the latest scientific evidence we receive.

14th Dec 2020
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what plans his Department has to update its recommendations on cleaning in workplace settings to reflect updated guidance from the Health and Safety Executive on disinfecting surfaces and vehicles.

BEIS has worked closely with Health and Safety Executive (HSE), Public Health England and others throughout the pandemic to ensure that guidance for businesses is based on the most up to date understanding of Covid-19. There are arrangements in place between BEIS and HSE for weekly reviews of the recommendations for workplaces to ensure that any changes are rapidly reflected either through direct changes to the GOV.UK guidance or through links to the recommendations published by other departments.

1st Dec 2020
Pay
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what proportion of investigations carried out by (a) the Employment Agency Standards Inspectorate, (b) the Gangmaster Labour Abuse Authority and (c) the HMRC National Minimum Wage Enforcement Team involve joint work with Immigration Enforcement.

The proportion of investigations undertaken by Employment Agency Standards Inspectorate with Immigration Enforcement amounts to 0.6% of all cases between 1 April 2016 and 30 November 2020.

HMRC only conduct joint visits where there are pertinent risks for other enforcement agencies. From 2017/18 to 2019/20, joint visits involving Immigration Enforcement represent 1.3% of HMRC National Minimum Wage Team’s investigations.

The Gangmasters and Labour Abuse Authority work with several partners, including Immigration Enforcement, in different ways which may change as an investigation develops. They only capture data on the lead agency in each case and therefore it is not possible to accurately state the total proportion of investigations carried out with Immigration Enforcement.

1st Dec 2020
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, with reference to the Court of Justice of the European Union ruling based on the case of Federacion de Servicios de Comisiones Obreras v Deutsche Bank SAE, whether he plans to require employers to measure the duration of time worked by each employee, both normal hours and overtime, to ensure that staff (a) do not work beyond the legal maximum number of hours and (b) receive stipulated daily and weekly rest periods.

The Government does not currently intend to amend domestic legislation to require employers to record working hours as set out in the judgment.

It is important that employers comply with the Working Time Regulations in respect of working hours and daily and weekly rest, and that they are held to account if they don't. Workers can take a case to employment tribunal concerning insufficient rest, and the Health and Safety Executive directly enforces maximum working hours. The Government has also committed to bringing forward state enforcement of the rules in the Working Time Regulations on holiday pay for vulnerable workers, to ensure that workers get the paid time off they deserve.

The Government does not disclose the legal advice it receives in relation to its work.

1st Dec 2020
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what legal advice he has received on the Government requiring employers to measure the duration of time worked by each employee, both normal hours and overtime, to ensure that staff do not work beyond the legal maximum number of hours, and that they receive stipulated daily and weekly rest periods following the Court of Justice of the European Union ruling based on the case Federacion de Servicios de Comisiones Obreras (CCOO) v Deutsche Bank SAE.

The Government does not currently intend to amend domestic legislation to require employers to record working hours as set out in the judgment.

It is important that employers comply with the Working Time Regulations in respect of working hours and daily and weekly rest, and that they are held to account if they don't. Workers can take a case to employment tribunal concerning insufficient rest, and the Health and Safety Executive directly enforces maximum working hours. The Government has also committed to bringing forward state enforcement of the rules in the Working Time Regulations on holiday pay for vulnerable workers, to ensure that workers get the paid time off they deserve.

The Government does not disclose the legal advice it receives in relation to its work.

1st Dec 2020
Pay
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what estimate he has made of the (a) wages recovered for workers, (b) money recovered for workers from unlawful fees charges to workers and (c) unpaid holiday pay recovered for workers by the (i) Employment Standards Agency Inspectorate, (ii) HMRC National Minimum Wage Enforcement Team and (iii) Gangmaster Labour Abuse Authority in 2016-17, 2017-18, 2019-20 and 2020-21.

HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) enforce the National Minimum Wage regulations on behalf of the Department for Business, Energy, and Industrial Strategy (BEIS). They investigate where they believe an employer is not paying the minimum wage and follow up every worker complaint they receive. HMRC only hold data relating to (a) wages recovered for workers. They do not hold data relating to (b) money recovered for workers from unlawful fees charges to workers or (c) unpaid holiday pay recovered for workers as these are outside of their remit.

The Employment Agency Standards Inspectorate (EAS) and the Gangmasters and Labour Abuse Authority (GLAA) do not differentiate between the amount of money recovered in unpaid wages, holiday pay or a potential unlawful deduction.

Money recovered for workers

2016-17

2017-18

2019-20

2020-21

Employment Agency Standards Inspectorate

£69, 500

£150, 000

£61, 000

£73, 500 (up to 30 November 2020)

HMRC National Minimum Wage

£10,918,047

£15, 615, 609[1]

£20, 800, 000

Not yet available [2]

Gangmasters and Labour Abuse Authority [3]

£93, 165

£94, 444

£116, 605.30

£8, 285.90 (Up to 31 October 2020)

[1] Source: 18/19 compliance and enforcement report

[2] These figures will be published in the enforcement and compliance report for that year.

[3] GLAA are sponsored by the Home Office, rather than BEIS. These figures have been provided by GLAA.

30th Nov 2020
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what the annual budget was for the Employment Agency Standards Inspectorate for 2018-19; what the annual budget is for the year 2020-2021; and what the provisional budgets are for (a) 2021-2022 and (b) 2022-2023.

Information on the Employment Agency Standards Inspectorates budget, FTE Staff and FTE Officers is set out below. Budgets for 2021-22 and 2022-23 have not yet been formalised:

Year

Budget

FTE Staff

FTE Officers

2018-19

£0.725m

13

10

2019-20

£1.125m

28.8*

18.8

2020-21

£1.525m

28.8

18.8

* Recruitment of staff took place towards the end of the 2019-20 Financial Year

The Employment Agency Standards Annual Report for 2018/19 was due to be published in April 2020. All non-COVID-19 publications were halted at that time to ensure the timely dissemination of business-critical information. The annual report will be published in due course.

Umbrella companies do not currently fall within the remit of the Employment Agency Standards Inspectorate (EAS) and therefore no investigations have been undertaken. The Government has committed to extending the remit of the EAS to umbrella companies. EAS continues to work closely with the industries Trade Bodies to ensure Agency workers interests are addressed.

30th Nov 2020
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many FTE staff there were in the Employment Agencies Standards Inspectorate for (a) 2018-19, (b) 2019-20 and (c) 2020-21.

Information on the Employment Agency Standards Inspectorates budget, FTE Staff and FTE Officers is set out below. Budgets for 2021-22 and 2022-23 have not yet been formalised:

Year

Budget

FTE Staff

FTE Officers

2018-19

£0.725m

13

10

2019-20

£1.125m

28.8*

18.8

2020-21

£1.525m

28.8

18.8

* Recruitment of staff took place towards the end of the 2019-20 Financial Year

The Employment Agency Standards Annual Report for 2018/19 was due to be published in April 2020. All non-COVID-19 publications were halted at that time to ensure the timely dissemination of business-critical information. The annual report will be published in due course.

Umbrella companies do not currently fall within the remit of the Employment Agency Standards Inspectorate (EAS) and therefore no investigations have been undertaken. The Government has committed to extending the remit of the EAS to umbrella companies. EAS continues to work closely with the industries Trade Bodies to ensure Agency workers interests are addressed.

30th Nov 2020
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many full-time equivalent Enforcement Officers his Department has employed in the reporting periods (a) 2018-19, (b) 2019- 20 and (c) 2020-21.

Information on the Employment Agency Standards Inspectorates budget, FTE Staff and FTE Officers is set out below. Budgets for 2021-22 and 2022-23 have not yet been formalised:

Year

Budget

FTE Staff

FTE Officers

2018-19

£0.725m

13

10

2019-20

£1.125m

28.8*

18.8

2020-21

£1.525m

28.8

18.8

* Recruitment of staff took place towards the end of the 2019-20 Financial Year

The Employment Agency Standards Annual Report for 2018/19 was due to be published in April 2020. All non-COVID-19 publications were halted at that time to ensure the timely dissemination of business-critical information. The annual report will be published in due course.

Umbrella companies do not currently fall within the remit of the Employment Agency Standards Inspectorate (EAS) and therefore no investigations have been undertaken. The Government has committed to extending the remit of the EAS to umbrella companies. EAS continues to work closely with the industries Trade Bodies to ensure Agency workers interests are addressed.

30th Nov 2020
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, for what reasons the Employment Agency Standards Inspectorate has not published an annual report for 2018-19.

Information on the Employment Agency Standards Inspectorates budget, FTE Staff and FTE Officers is set out below. Budgets for 2021-22 and 2022-23 have not yet been formalised:

Year

Budget

FTE Staff

FTE Officers

2018-19

£0.725m

13

10

2019-20

£1.125m

28.8*

18.8

2020-21

£1.525m

28.8

18.8

* Recruitment of staff took place towards the end of the 2019-20 Financial Year

The Employment Agency Standards Annual Report for 2018/19 was due to be published in April 2020. All non-COVID-19 publications were halted at that time to ensure the timely dissemination of business-critical information. The annual report will be published in due course.

Umbrella companies do not currently fall within the remit of the Employment Agency Standards Inspectorate (EAS) and therefore no investigations have been undertaken. The Government has committed to extending the remit of the EAS to umbrella companies. EAS continues to work closely with the industries Trade Bodies to ensure Agency workers interests are addressed.

30th Nov 2020
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many investigations the Employment Agency Standards Inspectorate has undertaken on the conduct of umbrella companies in each of the reporting periods (a) 2018-19, (b) 2019-20 and (c) 2020-21.

Information on the Employment Agency Standards Inspectorates budget, FTE Staff and FTE Officers is set out below. Budgets for 2021-22 and 2022-23 have not yet been formalised:

Year

Budget

FTE Staff

FTE Officers

2018-19

£0.725m

13

10

2019-20

£1.125m

28.8*

18.8

2020-21

£1.525m

28.8

18.8

* Recruitment of staff took place towards the end of the 2019-20 Financial Year

The Employment Agency Standards Annual Report for 2018/19 was due to be published in April 2020. All non-COVID-19 publications were halted at that time to ensure the timely dissemination of business-critical information. The annual report will be published in due course.

Umbrella companies do not currently fall within the remit of the Employment Agency Standards Inspectorate (EAS) and therefore no investigations have been undertaken. The Government has committed to extending the remit of the EAS to umbrella companies. EAS continues to work closely with the industries Trade Bodies to ensure Agency workers interests are addressed.

17th Nov 2020
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps he has taken to ensure companies comply with legislation on redundancy consultancy procedures.

The Government’s role in these situations is to set the legislative framework and requirements for collective redundancy consultation.

Disputes about the compliance are generally questions of fact and the Employment Tribunal is best placed to determine whether a breach of the requirements has taken place and whether there should be an award for the breach.

The Government has powers to act where there has been a failure to notify the Secretary of State of proposed collective redundancies prior to the start of statutory consultation.

The Government has a robust package of measures to address non-compliance including:

  • potential disciplinary action for officeholders who fail to consult following appointment on insolvency,

  • a financial penalty on employers who fail to engage with employees and;

  • potential prosecution for failure to notify the relevant competent authority when proposing redundancies.

Government recognises the importance of ensuring that where redundancies are necessary, employers get the process right. Acas has been running webinars focusing on handling redundancies in both collective and non-collective situations. The range of digital events outline the legal processes around redundancy. The events have been updated to consider the specific challenges around Coronavirus as well as alternatives to redundancy, including the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme.

In addition, Acas, CBI and TUC have published a joint statement on handling redundancies. Their message encourages employers to exhaust all possible alternatives before making redundancies and to consult with their workforce on what these alternatives might be. The organisations have called on all employers considering redundancies to work with their trade unions and employees and get the process right by following 5 principles:

  1. Do it openly – whatever the scale of the redundancies, the sooner people understand the situation, the better for everyone;
  2. Do it thoroughly - by providing information and guidance;
  3. Do it genuinely – consultation means hearing people's views before you make a decision and being open to alternatives based on feedback;
  4. Do it fairly - all aspects of your redundancy procedure should be conducted fairly and without any form of discrimination.
  5. Do it with dignity - losing your job has a human as a well as a business cost. The way you let people go says a lot about your organisation's values. Think about how you will handle the conversation – whether it is face-to-face or remote.
16th Nov 2020
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, when the Government plans to bring forward an employment Bill.

In the Queens’ Speech, we announced we will bring forward measures to deliver on a range of Manifesto commitments.

Our legislation will make workplaces fairer, by providing better support for working families and by encouraging flexible working.

We will deliver on our commitment to balance the needs of both employers and workers to ensure we have an employment framework that is fit for purpose for the 21st century.

It is important that we work closely with stakeholders to make sure we get the legislation right, and we will bring forward details of the Employment Bill in due course.

16th Nov 2020
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, when the Government plans to bring forward an employment Bill.

In the Queens’ Speech, we announced we will bring forward measures to deliver on a range of Manifesto commitments.

Our legislation will make workplaces fairer, by providing better support for working families and by encouraging flexible working.

We will deliver on our commitment to balance the needs of both employers and workers to ensure we have an employment framework that is fit for purpose for the 21st century.

It is important that we work closely with stakeholders to make sure we get the legislation right, and we will bring forward details of the Employment Bill in due course.

13th Jul 2020
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, with reference to the recommendations in the Low Pay Commission's May 2020 report, Non-compliance and enforcement of the National Minimum Wage, what steps he has taken to (a) evaluate what data are recorded in non-compliance investigations, (b) make an assessment of how that data can be used to improve cost-effectiveness, (c) monitor the effect of the increase in the threshold for naming employers found to have underpaid workers, (d) take responsibility for the delivery of the new higher NLW target in the sectors where it is the main source of funding, (e) use targeted communications to both apprentices and their employers to highlight underpayment risks and the non-payment of training hours, (f) instruct HMRC to (i) review how it records apprentice underpayment, (ii) publish the number and profile of the apprentices identified as having been underpaid and (iii)) review its approach to investigations involving apprentices and whether such investigations would identify non-payment of training hours and (g) review the regulations on records to be kept by an employer to set out the minimum requirements needed to keep sufficient records; and if he will make a statement.

The Government is committed to tackling minimum wage non-compliance. Anyone entitled to be paid the National Minimum Wage (NMW) should receive it. The last financial year (2019/20) was another strong year for NMW enforcement. HMRC completed over 3,300 investigations and found arrears in just over 1,200 of them. They identified £20.8 million in arrears for over 263,000 workers and issued just under 1,000 penalties, totalling £18.5 million to non-compliant employers.

We have noted the Low Pay Commission’s (LPC) recommendations made in their 2020 report on non-compliance and enforcement of the NMW. We responded to the LPC’s last (2019) set of enforcement recommendations in the 2018/19 edition of BEIS’ annual report on NMW Enforcement and Compliance[1].

We have already acted on the recommendations made by the LPC following the publication of their report in May 2020. We have drawn up plans for evaluative work across the 2020-21 financial year, started research to assess the impact of HMRC’s promote activity and engaged with both the Department for Education and HMRC to tackle the underpayment of apprentices. We will respond in full to the LPC’s 2020 enforcement recommendations in due course. We will also provide more detailed statistics on enforcement in 2019/20 as part of the 2019/20 edition of BEIS’ annual report on NMW Enforcement and Compliance.

[1] National Living Wage and National Minimum Wage: Government evidence on compliance and enforcement, 2019 (BEIS, 2020)

13th Jul 2020
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of trends in the number of prosecutions for non-payment of the national minimum wage by region (a) in total and (b) in each year since the financial year 2009-10.

The Government is determined that everyone who is entitled to the National Minimum Wage (NMW) receives it. All businesses, irrespective of size or business sector, are responsible for paying the correct minimum wage to their staff. Our priority is to ensure that workers receive the money they are owed as quickly as possible. For this reason, in the vast majority of cases, HMRC pursue civil enforcement, which is the quickest way of ensuring workers receive their arrears.

Labour Market Enforcement Undertakings and Orders provide a further tool for cases that involve high levels of arrears per worker and/or NMW non-compliance over an extended period of time. These can result in a two-year custodial sentence and/or an unlimited fine.

HMRC investigates all complaints from workers; and if anyone thinks they are not receiving at least the minimum wage they can contact Acas, in confidence, on 0300 123 1100 or via the online complaints form using the link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/pay-and-work-rights-complaints

HMRC will prosecute where it finds the most serious cases of non-compliance and since the financial year 2009-10 HMRC NMW investigations have led to 8 successful prosecutions of employers for NMW related offences.

Total prosecutions since the financial year 2009-10:

Number

Region

Date

1

Manchester

23/06/2010

2

London

26/02/2013

3

Birmingham

11/05/2016

4

Weymouth

13/05/2016

5

Oldham

04/08/2016

6

Southampton

08/12/2016

7

Birmingham

17/08/2017

8*

-

November 2019

Government compliance and enforcement 18/19 link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-living-wage-and-national-minimum-wage-government-evidence-on-compliance-and-enforcement-2019

*The eighth case was successfully prosecuted in November 2019. As this case falls outside the 2018/19 reporting period, it will be detailed in next year’s (19/20) report.

7th Jul 2020
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps he has taken in response to the recommendations set out in paragraph 50 of the Sixteenth Report of the 2017-19 Session of the Environmental Audit Committee entitled Fixing Fashion: clothing consumption and sustainability, HC1952, to (a) pursue a more proactive approach to the enforcement of the national minimum wage and (b) provide HMRC’s National Minimum Wage team with greater resourcing to increase their inspection and detection work with regard to workers in the garment industry receiving less than the minimum wage and suffering serious breaches of health and safety law in their workplace.

The Government is deeply concerned by the reports of illegal and unsafe working conditions for textile workers in Leicester, especially in light of the recent increase in COVID-19 infections.

The main labour market enforcement bodies (the HMRC National Minimum Wage team and the Gangmasters Labour Abuse Authority), as well as the Police and the Health & Safety Executive, have been working closely with Leicester Council to set up the Leicester Compliance Task Force. The key aims of the taskforce is to address broader labour market and health and safety issues by using local knowledge to improve understanding of the exploitation risks, increase awareness, support victims and ensure compliance.

Since 2017, a number of operations have been undertaken in the Leicester area linked to potential exploitation, including underpayment of the minimum wage. Where breaches have been found appropriate enforcement action has been taken, including warning letters, recovery of unpaid wages, penalties, and director disqualifications.

The Government has more than doubled the budget for National Minimum Wage compliance and enforcement to £27.5 million for 2020/21, up from £13.2 million in 2015/16. Increasing the budget allows HMRC to focus on tackling the most serious cases of wilful non-compliance. It also increases the number of compliance officers available to investigate minimum wage complaints and conduct risk-based enforcement in sectors where non-compliance is most likely.

18th Jun 2020
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether the Government has contributed to international research on working conditions during covid-19 similar to the report of the European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions entitled, Living, working and COVID-19, published on 6 May 2020.

The Department continues to monitor the impact of Covid-19 on working conditions in the UK and internationally. We are currently contributing to domestic research on changes to working practices in the UK which will be published in due course.

16th Jun 2020
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether the Government plans to maintain participation in the European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions.

As the UK has left the European Union, the UK is no longer a member of the European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions. Only Member States of the EU can be members of the Foundation. The UK will continue to have access to the research produced by the Foundation, and if the Foundation or the EU wish the UK to be involved in any discussions, meetings or research, the UK Government will consider any such request on its merits.

16th Jun 2020
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to the Answer of 8 June 2020 to Question 54118, on Industrial Health and Safety: Coronavirus, what plans his Department has to monitor the recommendation that employers with over 50 workers publish risk assessments online as announced in his statement on 12 May 2020.

We worked closely with the Health and Safety Executive to develop this guidance, including the risk assessment content. Existing health and safety legislation requires risk assessments to be carried out, and our guidance does not change this.

We are asking companies to consider publishing the results of their risk assessments whenever possible, although publishing risk assessments is not a legal obligation. The Government expects larger organisations – those with over 50 workers – to publish the results of their risk assessments.

We think businesses will want to do this to help build the confidence of their workers and their customers.

In order to help with this, the Government has provided a new notice which employers can display to show they have followed the guidance on managing the risks of COVID-19.

3rd Jun 2020
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to the Answer of 2 June 2020 to Question 49014, what estimate his Department has made of the number of businesses with (a) less than and (b) more than 50 employees that have (i) carried out and (ii) made publicly available their covid-19 risk assessments; and if he will publish a register of those businesses that have carried out risk assessments.

The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy is not compiling a list of businesses that have carried out risk assessments.

As stated in the Answer of 2 June 2020 to Question 49014, existing health and safety legislation requires risk assessments. The safer working guidance does not change this.

Publishing risk assessments is not a legal obligation, but we are asking companies to consider publishing the results of their risk assessments whenever possible. We recommend that larger companies – those with over 50 workers – publish the results of their risk assessments.

We think employers will want to do this to help build the confidence of their workers and their customers.

19th May 2020
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many covid-19 risk assessments have been (a) carried out and (b) made publicly available at businesses with (i) less than and (ii) more than 50 employees.

Existing health and safety legislation requires risk assessments. The safer working guidance does not change this.

Employers have a duty to consult their employees, and unions where applicable, as part of their risk assessment. Involving workers in this will help build trust and confidence that all reasonably practicable steps are being taken to reduce risks of COVID-19, so that people can return to work safely.

All businesses should share the results of their risk assessment with their employees. The Government is asking employers to publish the results of these assessments on their websites whenever possible. The Government expects larger organisations – those with over 50 workers – to publish the results of their risk assessments.

In order to help with this, the Government has provided a new notice which employers can download and display to show they have followed the guidance on managing the risks of COVID-19.

19th May 2020
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of section 44 of the Employment Rights Act 1996 in relation to workplace health and safety during the covid-19 crisis; if he will update the Government's covid-19-secure workplace guidance to include that assessment; and if he will make a statement.

Under the law, employers are responsible for health and safety management and should take the necessary steps to ensure safe workplaces. During the Covid-19 crisis, the Government has worked with a wide range of businesses, trade unions and representative organisations to issue guidance on safe return to work. Public Health England and the Health and Safety Executive have also issued guidance on how to ensure social distancing and hygiene measures in the workplace.

In line with employment and health and safety law, this guidance sets out that where employees have health and safety concerns, they should raise this with their employee representative, trade union, or the Health & Safety Executive. Where HSE identifies employers who are not taking action to comply with the relevant PHE guidance to control public health risks they will consider taking a range of enforcement action. The Government recently announced an additional £14 million of funding for HSE to support this work.

19th Dec 2019
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment she has made of the effect of Boeing's decision to stop production of the 737 Max aircraft on the UK's aviation and aerospace industries.

We are in close contact with Boeing as well as key UK suppliers. Boeing has confirmed that their decision to temporarily suspend 737 production is the least disruptive to the long-term health of their production system and supply chain. Due to the diversification of the UK supplier base, we would not anticipate this stop in production to have a significant impact on the UK aerospace industry overall but will consider the potential impact on individual companies. Boeing is working with its suppliers in the UK to minimise operational disruption and provide as much certainty as possible. We will continue to maintain close dialogue with Boeing and suppliers to monitor the situation as they continue to assess the appropriate duration of the suspension.

14th Jul 2021
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to the oral contribution of the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy of 27 April 2021, Official Report, column 86WH, what steps his Department has taken to (a) investigate the use of fire and rehire tactics by its executive non-departmental public bodies, (b) communicate the Government's position on fire and rehire tactics to those bodies and (c) discourage the use of such tactics by those bodies.

The Government has been very clear that threatening fire and rehire as a negotiating tactic is completely unacceptable. We always expect employers to treat employees fairly and in the spirit of partnership working with trade unions, where relevant, constructively. We are confident that all non-departmental public bodies are aware of the Government’s position on this matter.

We work constructively with each non-departmental public body we have responsibility for and this includes when it comes to workforce management matters, however each is ultimately responsible for the management of their staff.