Asked by: Damian Green (Conservative - Ashford)
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 bring forward publication of the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumer Bill to ensure the regime can be put into operation.
Answered by Kevin Hollinrake - Shadow Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities
My Rt. Hon. Friend Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer announced in the Autumn Statement that the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumer Bill will be brought forward in the 3rd Session. Further details on this will be announced in due course.
Asked by: Damian Green (Conservative - Ashford)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether he will maintain the terms and conditions of the Motor Vehicle Block Exemption Regulation despite the expiration of that regulation.
Answered by Paul Scully
The retained Motor Vehicle Block Exemption Regulation expires on 31 May 2023. On or before this date, the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy may vary, revoke or replace the block exemption, acting in consultation with the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA). The CMA has announced a review of the retained Motor Vehicle Block Exemption Regulation and expects to submit a recommendation to my rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State in late summer 2022.
Asked by: Damian Green (Conservative - Ashford)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what amendments have been made to the guidance relating to section 44 of the National Minimum Wage Act 1998 since its enactment.
Answered by Kelly Tolhurst
Section 44 of the National Minimum Wage Act 1998 sets out a specific exemption that applies to voluntary workers. People volunteering for charities, voluntary organisations and other relevant organisations contribute a huge value to society, and they do so without an expectation of being paid the National Minimum Wage.
Guidance is available on gov.uk to support charitable and other relevant organisations in determining when voluntary workers are covered by the exemption. This is contained in ‘Calculating the Minimum Wage’, which was first published in April 2013 and can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/calculating-the-minimum-wage
This guidance on when voluntary workers are exempt from the National Minimum Wage has not been the subject of a formal consultation and there are no immediate plans to amend it. If the Department receives representations that show there is a need for improved guidance we would consider these carefully.
Asked by: Damian Green (Conservative - Ashford)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether there was a public consultation in support of the development of guidance relating to section 44 of the National Minimum Wage Act 1998.
Answered by Kelly Tolhurst
Section 44 of the National Minimum Wage Act 1998 sets out a specific exemption that applies to voluntary workers. People volunteering for charities, voluntary organisations and other relevant organisations contribute a huge value to society, and they do so without an expectation of being paid the National Minimum Wage.
Guidance is available on gov.uk to support charitable and other relevant organisations in determining when voluntary workers are covered by the exemption. This is contained in ‘Calculating the Minimum Wage’, which was first published in April 2013 and can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/calculating-the-minimum-wage
This guidance on when voluntary workers are exempt from the National Minimum Wage has not been the subject of a formal consultation and there are no immediate plans to amend it. If the Department receives representations that show there is a need for improved guidance we would consider these carefully.
Asked by: Damian Green (Conservative - Ashford)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether the Government plans to amend the guidance relating to section 44 of the National Minimum Wage Act 1998; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Kelly Tolhurst
Section 44 of the National Minimum Wage Act 1998 sets out a specific exemption that applies to voluntary workers. People volunteering for charities, voluntary organisations and other relevant organisations contribute a huge value to society, and they do so without an expectation of being paid the National Minimum Wage.
Guidance is available on gov.uk to support charitable and other relevant organisations in determining when voluntary workers are covered by the exemption. This is contained in ‘Calculating the Minimum Wage’, which was first published in April 2013 and can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/calculating-the-minimum-wage
This guidance on when voluntary workers are exempt from the National Minimum Wage has not been the subject of a formal consultation and there are no immediate plans to amend it. If the Department receives representations that show there is a need for improved guidance we would consider these carefully.
Asked by: Damian Green (Conservative - Ashford)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how many people have (a) taken shared parental leave and (b) made a claim for shared parental pay since April 2015; and what proportion of such claimants were fathers and partners.
Answered by Nick Boles
The Government does not yet have any information on the take up of Statutory Shared Parental Pay. Information for the 2015-16 tax year will be available from May 2016, although it will also include Additional Statutory Paternity Pay information up to December 2015. This will give the total number of claims for Statutory Shared Parental Pay but will not routinely include information on the proportion of claimants who were fathers and partners.
The Government does not collect information on the number of employees who have taken Shared Parental Leave. We will evaluate the policy by 2018 and this will enable us to better estimate the actual take up for leave.