Employment Rights Bill

Lord Leong Excerpts

Report stage
Wednesday 23rd July 2025 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Fox of Buckley (Non-Afl)]

My Lords—

[Lord in Waiting/Government Whip (Lord Leong) (Lab)]

This is Report.

[Baroness Fox of Buckley (Non-Afl)]

I was just going to ask a question, as others did. As we are passing law, is it not the case that—

--- Later in debate ---

[Lord Berkeley (Lab)]

My Lords, I will just add a few words to my noble friend’s contribution. This little item that we are discussing came out of a debate we had in Committee when we established that there was a link between the small boats with what we might call illegal immigrants coming across the channel and the delivery vehicles, mostly bicycles with trailers and mostly in London, but in other places as well. There was strong evidence that the riders do not have permission to work in this country and have probably not passed any of the tests necessary for what they are doing. We all know what the problem is with these bicycles and trailers going around London: they seem to forget that there are things such as traffic lights and rules about keeping to the left.

Ministers were sympathetic, and we had a very useful meeting with the Ministers, for which I thank them. The real problem is that once one of these drivers has a job at one of the companies my noble friend mentioned, they can contact their brothers, sisters and cousins on the continent and say, “Why don’t you come across too? You can share the job”, which sounds fine. They spend the money and come across the channel, hopefully still safe and alive.

Once two of them are trying to do the same job as if one person, it gets very difficult. There is no easy solution to this, apart from—we had a very useful meeting with the Minister on this—adding the word “substitution” to many of the issues that noble Lords in the creative sector spoke about so well earlier. They are often substituting for their brothers and cousins but are still working without the necessary insurance, certification or anything else. I hope that when my noble friend the Minister comes to respond, she will look favourably on the idea of having a wider interpretation of the type of work we are talking about. Apart from people not paying their tax and everything else, hopefully there are not going be too many road accidents, but at the moment it is a little dubious.

I am grateful to other noble Lords who have listened to something that is 100 miles away from creative, but it is just as important. I look forward to the Minister’s response.

[Lord Leong (Lab)]

Front Bench.

[Lord Goddard of Stockport (LD)]

No, I give up.

--- Later in debate ---

[Lord Sharpe of Epsom (Con)]

My Lords, there is really very little to say, but obviously I thank the noble Baroness, Lady Wolf of Dulwich, for bringing forward this very thoughtful and necessary amendment. She is right that apprenticeships represent one of the most important pathways into skilled employment and a vital investment in our nation’s future workforce. I agreed with everything that the noble Baronesses, Lady Wolf and Lady Garden, and the noble Lord, Lord Aberdare, said, and I wish the noble Lord well. I hope that the noble Baroness, Lady Wolf, gets the reassurance that she needs and, if she does not, she should probably test the opinion of the House.

[Lord Leong (Lab)]

Good try.

My Lords, I am grateful to all noble Lords who have spoken. On behalf of these Benches, I wish the noble Lord, Lord Aberdare, all the best for his forthcoming retirement, which is not today; it will be on 31 August. We wish him well and he will definitely be sorely missed in this House.

I will address the amendments tabled by the noble Baroness, Lady Wolf of Dulwich. Amendment 181 proposes to insert a provision in the Bill to require that the Government give due consideration to the impacts on apprenticeships during consultation. Amendment 182 proposes a review process specifically on the impact on apprenticeships. Although these amendments rightly raise the importance of apprenticeships, they effectively duplicate what we are, and will already be, doing.

We know that our country’s greatest asset is its people, and apprenticeships are one of the most powerful ways, as stated by the noble Lord, Lord Goddard, that we can invest in that potential. They open doors, build confidence and provide a ladder of opportunity for those who might otherwise be left behind. Whether it is a young person taking their first step into the world of work or someone retraining for a new career, apprenticeships offer a route to success that is both practical and aspirational.

We are transforming the apprenticeship levy into a new growth and skills levy, giving learners and employers more flexibility. This will fund shorter apprenticeships and open up more tailored, responsive training options compared with the current system, where apprenticeships must run for at least 12 months. When we launch the consultations as described in the road map, every effort will be made to ensure that the consultations reach a wide audience. The Government are keen to hear from employers of all sizes and their representative organisations, as well as workers and their representative bodies, in order to understand the distinct perspective of these different stakeholders. They will play a crucial role in policy development. In developing options in our consultations, the Government will consider their potential impacts. The options analysts will, as is standard, consider the impacts on the labour market for different groups of workers and micro, small and medium businesses.

In addition, the road map shows that full implementation of the Bill will take years, so seeking to publish a review too early would prevent meaningful assessment of its effects, especially on young people.

The Government value apprenticeship, as I said earlier, and apprentices. We want to continue to engage with businesses that offer apprenticeship and encourage their contributions to forthcoming consultations, including on employment status, under the Bill. We will be happy to continue to engage with and meet the noble Baroness, Lady Wolf, to that end, and to listen to all young people and apprentices themselves.

These amendments are unnecessary and duplicative. Supporting young people and small businesses will already be at the forefront of our minds as we work to implement our reforms. I therefore respectfully ask the noble Baroness to withdraw Amendment 181.

[Baroness Wolf of Dulwich (CB)]

My Lords, I thank the Minister for his words and definitely accept the invitation to continue to talk to the Government about this issue and about how we might improve the current legal framework so that it encourages apprenticeships in a much more positive way. I totally accept that the Government are doing a large number of consultations already, and I am delighted to know that in that context the Minister thinks that our amendments are unnecessary, since that would imply that they are definitely going to look at apprenticeships. On that basis, with thanks, and looking at the time, I beg leave to withdraw the amendment.