Asked by: Damian Hinds (Conservative - East Hampshire)
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 merits of varying the reference period for the guaranteed-hours provisions in the Employment Rights Bill for sectors with particularly high degrees of seasonality.
Answered by Kate Dearden - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
We expect the initial reference period to be 12 weeks long. The frequency and length of subsequent reference periods will be subject to consultation and set out in regulations.
We are conscious of the importance of seasonal workers and industries. There will be several ways for employers to maintain seasonal flexibility in line with the Bill. One is that the Bill allows employers to use fixed-term contracts to manage their workforce around the demand they expect.
We will consult publicly on the detail of the guaranteed hours measures.
Asked by: Damian Hinds (Conservative - East Hampshire)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what estimate he has made of the potential impact of the guaranteed-hours provisions in the Employment Rights Bill on (a) levels of self-employment (b) the ratio of fixed-term contracts to permanent contracts.
Answered by Kate Dearden - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Government has published its Impact Assessment and Economic Analysis for the Employment Rights Bill.
As stated, the guaranteed hours provisions aim to reduce the risk of workers being pushed into casual employment, increase predictability for workers with variable hours, and still allow those who prefer zero-hours contracts to keep them.
The Bill contains provisions to tackle avoidance mechanisms that might be used by employers to avoid the new rights, for example use of fixed-term contracts where work is ongoing. Whether an individual is self-employed or a worker is not a choice but depends on the reality of the relationship.