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 his Department has had discussions with the Director of Labour Market Enforcement on the creation of a single enforcement body for employment rights in the last 12 months.
Answered by Kevin Hollinrake - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Department has regular discussions with the Director of Labour Market Enforcement (DLME) and her team about all matters to do with the labour market enforcement bodies that are within the DLME’s purview.
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, which minister in his Department has responsibility for labour market policy.
Answered by Kevin Hollinrake - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
I am the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State with responsibility for labour market policy.
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 he and his Department will publish the consultation on a new statutory code to end fire and rehire tactics; and whether his Department has started discussions with external stakeholders on the new code.
Answered by Kevin Hollinrake - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Government has been clear that using dismissal and re-engagement as a negotiating tactic is unacceptable. We expect companies to treat their employees fairly.
In 2021, following a government request, the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service published new guidance to ensure that employers and employees are clear on their responsibilities.
Since then, officials have met a number of interested stakeholders to discuss the issue. We will set out next steps in this policy area in due course.
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 and what proportion of hospitals have Protected Site status under the Electricity Emergency Supply Code; and whether (a) hospices, (b) care homes and (c) other critical sites are included on the Protected Site List.
Answered by Graham Stuart
The Protected Sites List (PSL) ensures that during an electricity supply emergency, critical sites remain supplied with electricity.
No assessment has been made by the Department regarding the proportion of hospitals, hospices or care homes in Great Britain that have protected site status. These are the responsibility of the Department of Health & Social Care.
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 Good Work Plan, Cm 9755, published in 2018, whether it remains the policy of his Department to give all workers the right to request a more fixed working pattern from their employer after 26 weeks of service, as set out in that plan.
Answered by Dean Russell
The Government remains committed to introduce a right to request a more predictable contract.
This right will allow a qualifying worker to make an application to change their existing working pattern if it lacks predictability in terms of hours they are required to work, the times they are required to work, and / or the duration of their contract.
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 his Department plans to bring forward legislative proposals on a new statutory code on the practice of dismissal and re-engagement.
Answered by Dean Russell
The Government has been absolutely clear that using dismissal and re-engagement as a negotiating tactic is unacceptable, and we expect companies to treat their employees fairly. When the pandemic brought attention to cases of dismissal and re-engagement, we asked Acas to conduct an evidence-gathering exercise to help us better understand the issue. Government then went further and asked Acas to produce new guidance to ensure that employers are clear on their responsibilities. This guidance was published in 2021. We will set out next steps in this policy area in due course.
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 assessment his Department has made of the ability for workers to go on strike under proposals to raise ballot thresholds from 40 per cent to 50 per cent of employees.
Answered by Dean Russell
Any change to ballot thresholds would require primary legislation. There will therefore be ample opportunities for Members of Parliament to scrutinise any proposals the Government brings forward in this area.
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, if he will publish a breakdown of the total payments made to civil servants in his Department for relocation costs to government offices outside London in 2021.
Answered by Dean Russell
The Total Expense claims paid by the Department recorded as Relocation Costs in Financial Year 2021-22 was £177,304.
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 (a) consultations and (b) calls for evidence issued by his Department are closed but have not been responded to as of 12 July 2022.
Answered by Graham Stuart
The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy has issued 55 consultations, and calls for evidence for which a response by the Department is outstanding as of 12 July 2022:
a) 33 consultations (6 of which are still within the recommended response period);
b) 22 calls for evidence.
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 his Department has made an estimate of the total value of deductions in tips from front of house staff by their employers across the hospitality sector in 2021.
Answered by Dean Russell
The Government published an impact assessment on requiring employers to pass on tips to workers in full. The analysis within the impact assessment showed that workers in restaurants, bars and pubs will benefit by c.£200m a year by retaining otherwise deducted tips that customers intended for them.
The Government is maintaining its support for a Private Members’ Bill currently in Parliament on tipping. The Bill will bring into force new rules to protect millions of workers. It will create a legal obligation on employers to pass on tips to workers in full, in a fair and transparent manner, with no deductions other than those required or permitted by existing legislation, such as under tax law.