Asked by: Barry Sheerman (Labour (Co-op) - Huddersfield)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, which industries experience the highest (a) loss and (b) retention of female staff after maternity leave.
Answered by Kevin Hollinrake - Shadow Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities
The 2019 Parental Rights Survey shows that over a fifth (22%) of mothers reported not returning to work or starting another job following birth. Mothers working in ‘Hospitality’ (38%) and ‘Wholesale and Retail’ (27%) sectors were more likely to report they did not return or start another job than mothers in ‘Public Administration, Health and Education’ (15%).[1]
Over half (54%) of all mothers returned to the same job following birth. Mothers working in ‘Public Administration, Health and Education’ were more likely (63%) to report returning to the same job than those in ‘Business, Professional Services, Leisure and Other Services’ (50%) and ‘Hospitality’ industries (35%)[2].
1, [2] The sectors reported represent those where there are statistically significant differences from the total.
Asked by: Barry Sheerman (Labour (Co-op) - Huddersfield)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether she has had recent meetings with Cabinet colleagues to help ensure that UK trade deals protect workers rights and prevent forced labour.
Answered by Nigel Huddleston
The Secretary of State regularly engages with Cabinet colleagues on a wide range of issues. The UK is committed to ensuring trade supports an environment where workers’ rights are upheld, including working towards the eradication of modern slavery (including forced labour) in global supply chains. In our new free trade agreements with Australia and New Zealand, for example, we have secured labour chapters containing strong modern slavery provisions, which support our global efforts in this area.
Asked by: Barry Sheerman (Labour (Co-op) - Huddersfield)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps her Department has taken to ensure that guide dog owners have equal access to businesses in Huddersfield in the last 12 months.
Answered by Kevin Hollinrake - Shadow Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities
Strong protection already exists in the Equality Act 2010, which places a duty on businesses and service providers to make reasonable adjustments to improve disabled people’s access to goods and services so they are not placed at a substantial disadvantage compared to non-disabled people.
Anybody who thinks that they have been discriminated against in the services offered to them - including where access to an assistance dog has been refused - can take legal action to resolve the issue. Before doing so, they might first find it useful to contact the Equality Advisory and Support Service (EASS) which provides free bespoke advice and in-depth support to individuals with discrimination concerns via their website - http://www.equalityadvisoryservice.com/, or by telephone on 0808 800 0082 or by text phone on 0808 800 0084
Asked by: Barry Sheerman (Labour (Co-op) - Huddersfield)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of planned cuts to Royal Mail customer service points on other local services in (a) Huddersfield and (b) West Yorkshire.
Answered by Kevin Hollinrake - Shadow Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities
Decisions on the closure of customer service points are an operational matter for Royal Mail, provided they are consistent with Ofcom’s regulatory obligation on Royal Mail to provide access points for the universal service.
While the Government has no role in Royal Mail’s operational decisions, I understand that Royal Mail has completed the first stage of its review of customer service points and decided to maintain the current estate.