Asked by: John Howell (Conservative - Henley)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment she has made of the implications for her policies of the debate entitled The future of work is here…, which took place at the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe on 14 October 2022.
Answered by Victoria Prentis - Attorney General
The UK is committed to the protection and promotion of social rights. The UK has ratified the 1961 European Social Charter (ESC), the European Code of Social Security and numerous other international social rights instruments. The UK is fully committed to all of the Council of Europe instruments it has signed up to and engages constructively on the future of the world of work and the labour market at the Council of Europe.
The UK Government has conducted its own review on the ‘Future of Work’ led by the hon. member for Boston and Skegness at the request of the previous Prime Minister. This review concluded in August 2022. The Government is considering the review’s recommendations.
The recommendations from this report will be sent to the Council of Europe’s Committee of Ministers in due course for appropriate review following the ‘The future of work is here…’ debate of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe.
Asked by: John Howell (Conservative - Henley)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will make an assessment of the implications for her policies of the debate that took place at the Council of Europe on 28 September 2021 on socio-economic inequalities in Europe.
Answered by Mims Davies - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
The UK is committed to the protection and promotion of social rights. The UK has ratified the 1961 European Social Charter (ESC), the European Code of Social Security and numerous other international social rights instruments. The UK is fully committed to all of the Council of Europe instruments it is Party to and engages constructively in work on socio-economic inequalities at the Council of Europe.
The UK Government is taking important steps to reduce inequalities and levelling up across the whole of the United Kingdom, particularly as we recover from the COVID-19 pandemic. We have launched a suite of employment support schemes, significant investments in skills, training and apprenticeships, and Universal Credit has played a crucial and effective role in protecting the most vulnerable.
The Department for Work and Pensions is continuously reviewing its policies on socio-economic inequalities to ensure that no one and no community is left behind.