Asked by: David Warburton (Independent - Somerton and Frome)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what recent steps she has taken to help support (a) recruitment and (b) retention in the hospitality sector.
Answered by Kevin Hollinrake - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Government is in regular dialogue with the hospitality and tourism sectors and is aware of the recruitment and retention challenges facing businesses. The Hospitality Sector Council is actively looking at this issue and the Hospitality and Tourism Skills Board, which comprises businesses across both sectors, is considering ways to strengthen training.
We are also helping to fill vacancies through our Plan for Jobs programmes, which use work coaches to help match local talent with jobs in hospitality. Our sector-based work academy programme and flexible support fund, and various initiatives, are also encourag-ing jobseekers to look for opportunities in the sector. In addition, on 1 April 2023, the Gov-ernment increased the National Living Wage by 9.7% to £10.42.
The Government is also supporting six Private Member’s Bills which will improve workers’ rights and encourage more people into work. The Employment (Allocation of Tips) Act has now achieved Royal Assent meaning more than 2 million workers will have their tips protected when the measures come into force. This package of Bills will help new parents, unpaid carers, hospitality workers, and give employees better access to flexible working.
The Government is continuing to improve apprenticeships, making them more flexible and making it easier for employers to make greater use of their levy funds. The catering and hospitality sector serves up a host of different apprenticeships in restaurants, cafés, pubs, bars, nightclubs and hotels, including for example chef de partie.
Asked by: David Warburton (Independent - Somerton and Frome)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps she is taking with industry representatives to address labour shortages in the (a) hospitality and (b) tourism sectors.
Answered by Kevin Hollinrake - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Government is in regular dialogue with the hospitality and tourism sectors and is aware of the recruitment and retention challenges facing businesses. The Hospitality Sector Council is actively looking at this issue and the Hospitality and Tourism Skills Board, which comprises businesses across both sectors, is considering ways to strengthen training.
We are also helping to fill vacancies through our Plan for Jobs programmes, which use work coaches to help match local talent with jobs in hospitality. Our sector-based work academy programme and flexible support fund, and various initiatives, are also encourag-ing jobseekers to look for opportunities in the sector. In addition, on 1 April 2023, the Gov-ernment increased the National Living Wage by 9.7% to £10.42.
The Government is also supporting six Private Member’s Bills which will improve workers’ rights and encourage more people into work. The Employment (Allocation of Tips) Act has now achieved Royal Assent meaning more than 2 million workers will have their tips protected when the measures come into force. This package of Bills will help new parents, unpaid carers, hospitality workers, and give employees better access to flexible working.
The Government is continuing to improve apprenticeships, making them more flexible and making it easier for employers to make greater use of their levy funds. The catering and hospitality sector serves up a host of different apprenticeships in restaurants, cafés, pubs, bars, nightclubs and hotels, including for example chef de partie.
Asked by: David Warburton (Independent - Somerton and Frome)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps the Government is taking to (a) minimise disruption caused by industrial action and (b) reach a compromise on outstanding industrial issues.
Answered by Kevin Hollinrake - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Government’s door always remains open. We continue to talk to unions but any settlements must be affordable and not stoke higher inflation.
The Government continues to put contingency plans in place to mitigate the impact of industrial action in the public sector. To help reduce disruption caused by strikes, we lifted in July last year the ban on agency workers being used during industrial disputes. We have also recently introduced in Parliament the Strikes (Minimum Service Levels) Bill to ensure that a minimum service is provided in a range of important public services when industrial action takes place in future.
Asked by: David Warburton (Independent - Somerton and Frome)
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 music exports benefit from new UK trade agreements.
Answered by Nigel Huddleston - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Department for Business and Trade has engaged extensively with the music sector to inform our trade negotiations and to date we have been able to secure a number of commitments for the music sector. For example, with Australia and New Zealand Free Trade Agreements (FTA), the music sector will benefit from rules that ensure that data can flow freely between the UK and both countries.
Furthermore, the UK has secured commitments from Australia for continued discussions on measures to ensure adequate remuneration for music performers and producers and to tackle online infringement of intellectual property rights such as music piracy. We also secured a commitment from New Zealand to extend its copyright term of protection for authors and producers by 20 years. In our FTA with the EEA EFTA, we secured improved access for British touring artists into Norway supporting touring as live music generates vitally important revenue for UK artists and our economy.