Asked by: Bell Ribeiro-Addy (Labour - Clapham and Brixton Hill)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of establishing a working time council to explore the wider implementation of a four-day working across the economy.
Answered by Justin Madders - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
A four-day week is an example of a flexible working arrangement. All employees have the right to request flexible working, and we are changing legislation through the Employment Rights Bill to make it more likely that feasible requests are accepted.
The government continues to monitor the impacts of flexible working. As the full results of the latest four-day week trial have not yet been published, it has not been possible to determine any implications for business productivity or government policy.
Employers considering changes in working practices can draw on flexible working guidance on gov.uk and the Help to Grow website, as well as the new Business Growth Service which will launch shortly.
As we have no plans to mandate a four-day week, government is not planning to establish a working time council or business forum focussed on this topic. Our priority is to consult with and support businesses and employees with the planned changes to the flexible working measures as part of the wider Plan to Make Work Pay.
Asked by: Bell Ribeiro-Addy (Labour - Clapham and Brixton Hill)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment he has made of the productivity outcomes of the latest four-day week pilot facilitated by the 4 Day Week Foundation.
Answered by Justin Madders - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
A four-day week is an example of a flexible working arrangement. All employees have the right to request flexible working, and we are changing legislation through the Employment Rights Bill to make it more likely that feasible requests are accepted.
The government continues to monitor the impacts of flexible working. As the full results of the latest four-day week trial have not yet been published, it has not been possible to determine any implications for business productivity or government policy.
Employers considering changes in working practices can draw on flexible working guidance on gov.uk and the Help to Grow website, as well as the new Business Growth Service which will launch shortly.
As we have no plans to mandate a four-day week, government is not planning to establish a working time council or business forum focussed on this topic. Our priority is to consult with and support businesses and employees with the planned changes to the flexible working measures as part of the wider Plan to Make Work Pay.
Asked by: Bell Ribeiro-Addy (Labour - Clapham and Brixton Hill)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether his Department plans to support a structured forum for businesses to share learning on reduced-hour models.
Answered by Justin Madders - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
A four-day week is an example of a flexible working arrangement. All employees have the right to request flexible working, and we are changing legislation through the Employment Rights Bill to make it more likely that feasible requests are accepted.
The government continues to monitor the impacts of flexible working. As the full results of the latest four-day week trial have not yet been published, it has not been possible to determine any implications for business productivity or government policy.
Employers considering changes in working practices can draw on flexible working guidance on gov.uk and the Help to Grow website, as well as the new Business Growth Service which will launch shortly.
As we have no plans to mandate a four-day week, government is not planning to establish a working time council or business forum focussed on this topic. Our priority is to consult with and support businesses and employees with the planned changes to the flexible working measures as part of the wider Plan to Make Work Pay.
Asked by: Bell Ribeiro-Addy (Labour - Clapham and Brixton Hill)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps his Department is taking to support businesses transitioning to a four-day working week.
Answered by Justin Madders - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
A four-day week is an example of a flexible working arrangement. All employees have the right to request flexible working, and we are changing legislation through the Employment Rights Bill to make it more likely that feasible requests are accepted.
The government continues to monitor the impacts of flexible working. As the full results of the latest four-day week trial have not yet been published, it has not been possible to determine any implications for business productivity or government policy.
Employers considering changes in working practices can draw on flexible working guidance on gov.uk and the Help to Grow website, as well as the new Business Growth Service which will launch shortly.
As we have no plans to mandate a four-day week, government is not planning to establish a working time council or business forum focussed on this topic. Our priority is to consult with and support businesses and employees with the planned changes to the flexible working measures as part of the wider Plan to Make Work Pay.
Asked by: Bell Ribeiro-Addy (Labour - Clapham and Brixton Hill)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether he has made an assessment of the implications for his policies of the four-day week pilot facilitated by the 4 Day Week Foundation.
Answered by Justin Madders - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
A four-day week is an example of a flexible working arrangement. All employees have the right to request flexible working, and we are changing legislation through the Employment Rights Bill to make it more likely that feasible requests are accepted.
The government continues to monitor the impacts of flexible working. As the full results of the latest four-day week trial have not yet been published, it has not been possible to determine any implications for business productivity or government policy.
Employers considering changes in working practices can draw on flexible working guidance on gov.uk and the Help to Grow website, as well as the new Business Growth Service which will launch shortly.
As we have no plans to mandate a four-day week, government is not planning to establish a working time council or business forum focussed on this topic. Our priority is to consult with and support businesses and employees with the planned changes to the flexible working measures as part of the wider Plan to Make Work Pay.
Asked by: Bell Ribeiro-Addy (Labour - Clapham and Brixton Hill)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of Ofcom's decision to allow Royal Mail to cut Saturday deliveries and move to an alternating weekday model for second class letters on the delivery of letters from the NHS and Department for Work and Pensions.
Answered by Justin Madders - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
A reliable and affordable universal postal service is crucial to the UK, and we are clear it must work for customers, workers and businesses that help drive growth across the country.
Ofcom has reviewed the future of the universal postal service so that it better reflects the changing needs of its users. The regulator concluded that reform is needed for the universal service to put it on a more sustainable footing, to prevent people from paying higher prices than necessary and to push Royal Mail to improve reliability.
Asked by: Bell Ribeiro-Addy (Labour - Clapham and Brixton Hill)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if he will make an assessment of the potential implications for his policies of the potential impact of international trials of universal basic income on (a) workplace productivity and (b) job satisfaction in different sectors.
Answered by Justin Madders - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
Universal Basic Income is not a government policy and therefore no assessments are planned related to international trials.
Asked by: Bell Ribeiro-Addy (Labour - Clapham and Brixton Hill)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if he will make an assessment of the potential implications for his policies of the potential impact of international trials of universal basic income on levels of (a) entrepreneurship and (b) innovation in (i) small businesses and (ii) start-ups.
Answered by Justin Madders - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
Universal Basic Income is not a government policy and therefore no assessments are planned related to international trials.
Asked by: Bell Ribeiro-Addy (Labour - Clapham and Brixton Hill)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps his Department has taken to track the final destination of military equipment transiting through UK airports.
Answered by Douglas Alexander - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)
Responsibility for the enforcement of UK export controls on military and dual use and sanctioned goods rests with HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC). HMRC works closely with Border Force, other government departments and international partners to assist in identifying high-risk movements, conduct customs checks, and where necessary, seize goods at the port.
Military exports transiting the UK do not require a licence if they comply with certain handling conditions, do not include specific goods and are not for specific destinations, as set out in Article 17 of the Export Control Order 2008.
Asked by: Bell Ribeiro-Addy (Labour - Clapham and Brixton Hill)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of implementing a strategy to help reduce the economic impact of sleep deprivation in the workforce.
Answered by Justin Madders - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
We have set out our immediate priorities for reforming employment law in the Plan to Make Work Pay. While the Plan does not include specific measures on implementing a strategy on sleep deprivation, it aims to improve wellbeing by supporting people to better balance work with their personal circumstances.
Furthermore, the Working Time Regulations establishes a legal framework which provides minimum standards for working hours and rest periods. This ensure that workers are provided with basic minimum rights on a maximum working week, rest breaks and annual leave.