Asked by: Angela Rayner (Labour - Ashton-under-Lyne)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether he has had recent discussions with the Secretary of State for Transport on the potential impact of the proposals in the Seafarers Wages Bill on the enforcement of the national minimum wage law by HMRC in the maritime sector.
Answered by Kevin Hollinrake - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
Officials from the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy and the Low Pay Commission (LPC) speak to a wide range of stakeholders in relation to the National Minimum Wage (NMW) and its enforcement.
Almost all workers in the UK are entitled to be paid at least the NMW. This includes seafarers who ordinarily work within the UK and its territorial waters. HMRC takes a risk-based approach to enforcement, which means they can flex their resources to tackle an emerging threat or issue, including for seafarers working in the shipping industry.
HMRC will continue to enforce the NMW with this approach.
Asked by: Angela Rayner (Labour - Ashton-under-Lyne)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether it is his Department's policy that major emergency services sites are included on the Protected Site List under the Electricity Emergency Supply Code, in the context of potential energy consumption restrictions in winter 2022.
Answered by Graham Stuart
Emergency services of regional significance are included on the list of Approved Designated Services as set out in the Electricity Supply Emergency Code.
In order for a critical site or service to be placed on the Protected Sites List, the site must meet the criteria set out in the Electricity Supply Emergency Code guidance and apply to their local Network Operator.
Asked by: Angela Rayner (Labour - Ashton-under-Lyne)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what proportion of businesses complied with the Limited Liability Partnerships (Reporting on Payment Practices and Performance) Regulations 2017 in (a) 2018, (b) 2019, (c) 2020 and (d) 2021.
Answered by Kevin Hollinrake - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
Since the Regulations were made in 2017, more than 64,000 reports have been published by around 9,400 businesses. We estimate that around 10,300 businesses are currently required to report.
| Reports submitted | No. of companies |
2018 | 8,738 | 7,009 |
2019 | 15,088 | 7,595 |
2020 | 13,670 | 7,010 |
2021 | 13,393 | 6776 |
It is difficult to ascertain exactly how many businesses are required to report at any one time. Company restructuring, sale or disposal of previously reporting subsidiaries, mergers and acquisitions mean that businesses previously required to report may no longer exceed two of the three reporting thresholds (£36 million annual turnover; £18 million balance sheet total; 250 employees) and vice versa.
Asked by: Angela Rayner (Labour - Ashton-under-Lyne)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what proportion of companies complied with the regulations under the Reporting on Payment Practices and Performance Regulations 2017 in (a) 2018 (b) 2019 (c) 2020 and (d) 2021.
Answered by Kevin Hollinrake - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
Since the Regulations were made in 2017, more than 64,000 reports have been published by around 9,400 businesses. We estimate that around 10,300 businesses are currently required to report.
| Reports submitted | No. of companies |
2018 | 8,738 | 7,009 |
2019 | 15,088 | 7,595 |
2020 | 13,670 | 7,010 |
2021 | 13,393 | 6776 |
It is difficult to ascertain exactly how many businesses are required to report at any one time. Company restructuring, sale or disposal of previously reporting subsidiaries, mergers and acquisitions mean that businesses previously required to report may no longer exceed two of the three reporting thresholds (£36 million annual turnover; £18 million balance sheet total; 250 employees) and vice versa.
Asked by: Angela Rayner (Labour - Ashton-under-Lyne)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to the Answer of 11 November 2022 to Question 77438 on Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy: Consultants, which three external management consultants commissioned by his Department it has the highest spend.
Answered by Kevin Hollinrake - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
Management consultancy services were provided by two suppliers – Ernst and Young LLP and WSP UK Ltd.
Asked by: Angela Rayner (Labour - Ashton-under-Lyne)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether he and his Department still plan to create a single enforcement body for employment rights as committed to in the Conservative 2019 Manifesto; and what timeline he is working to, to bring forward promised legislation on this.
Answered by Kevin Hollinrake - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
Creating a new body is a substantial organisational change and we are making sure that all aspects of this reform have been thoroughly considered. Primary legislation will be required to create this new body and so timing will be dependent on the legislative timetable.
Asked by: Angela Rayner (Labour - Ashton-under-Lyne)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether it remains his policy to create a single enforcement body for employment rights as announced in June 2021.
Answered by Kevin Hollinrake - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
Creating a new body is a substantial organisational change and we are making sure that all aspects of this reform have been thoroughly considered. Primary legislation will be required to create this new body and so timing will be dependent on the legislative timetable.
Asked by: Angela Rayner (Labour - Ashton-under-Lyne)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, when the protected site list in the Electricity Emergency Supply Code was last reviewed.
Answered by Graham Stuart
The Electricity Supply Emergency Code (ESEC) Protected Sites List was last updated in November 2022. Network Operators update their Protected Sites List regularly.
Asked by: Angela Rayner (Labour - Ashton-under-Lyne)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many companies which have failed to comply with regulations under (a) the Reporting on Payment Practices and Performance Regulations 2017 and (b) the Limited Liability Partnerships (Reporting on Payment Practices and Performance) Regulations 2017 have been challenged in the last three years.
Answered by Kevin Hollinrake - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Payment Practices Reporting duty creates transparency in payment behaviour. To date, over 55,000 reports on payment practices have been submitted by over 9,000 large businesses.
As with all regulations, it is mandatory for businesses to establish if they need to report, and they must comply if they are required to do so. We regularly communicate informally with businesses identified as potentially meeting the requirements to report under the regulations.
The last time formal enforcement procedures were used was in 2019. Eighteen companies were issued formal procedures by BEIS for non-compliance with the requirements in the regulations.
Asked by: Angela Rayner (Labour - Ashton-under-Lyne)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, with reference to the Answer of 24 October 2022 to Question 63241 on Conditions of Employment, what progress his Department has made on establishing a right to request a more predictable contract after 26 weeks of employment.
Answered by Kevin Hollinrake - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Government laid out its commitment to establishing a right to request a more predictable contract after 26 weeks of employment in the 2019 Conservative Manifesto. We will bring forward legislation on this if parliamentary time allows.