Asked by: Paul Farrelly (Labour - Newcastle-under-Lyme)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the merits of working shorter hours to tackle climate change.
Answered by Kelly Tolhurst
The UK is a world leader in cutting emissions while creating wealth. Between 1990 and 2017, the UK reduced its emissions by over 40 per cent while growing the economy by more than two thirds. The Clean Growth Strategy sets out our plans to build on our progress in decarbonising the power sector, while looking further across the whole of the economy and the country. It includes ambitious proposals on housing, business, transport, the natural environment and green finance. We have not made any assessment of the impact of working shorter hours on climate change.
The Government does, though, continue to support flexible working practices, as part of our commitment to ensuring that everyone can access fair and decent work as set out in the Good Work Plan. For example, all employees with 26 weeks’ continuous service with their employer have the right to request Flexible Working. We have also committed to consult on a new duty on employers to consider when a job can be done flexibly, and make that clear when advertising.
Asked by: Paul Farrelly (Labour - Newcastle-under-Lyme)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what recent steps he has taken to ensure that interns are paid at least (a) the national minimum wage and (b) the national living wage.
Answered by Kelly Tolhurst
The law is clear that any individual performing work is entitled to receive the National Minimum and National Living Wage (NMW). The Government is committed to enforcing this right. In 2018/19 HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) identified a record £24.4 million in arrears for over 220,000 workers and issued over £17 million in penalties to non-compliant employers. The budget to enforce the NMW stands at its highest ever.
HMRC have contacted over 2,000 employers found to be advertising unpaid internships online to ensure they are compliant with the law. They have also issued over 15,000 letters to employers in industries where internships are common to remind them of their responsibilities.
Earlier this month my hon Friend the Minister of State (Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport) (Digital Policy) (Margot James) and I co-hosted a roundtable on internships with employers and organisations in the creative industries. Discussion focused on how Government can work better with employers to raise the profile of existing rules and ensure that interns are paid in accordance with NMW law. The event provided important insight which will be used to improve compliance with the law across all sectors.
Anyone who feels they are being underpaid the NMW should contact Acas for free impartial advice or make a complaint directly to HMRC through their online form. HMRC follow up on every worker complaint received, even those which are anonymous.
Asked by: Paul Farrelly (Labour - Newcastle-under-Lyme)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to the Answer of 30 April 2019 to Question 245672 on Consumers: Internet, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008 are fully enforced.
Answered by Kelly Tolhurst
Part 8 of the Enterprise Act 2008 provides for a number of enforcers, such as Trading Standards and the Competition and Markets Authority, to enforce consumer protection legislation, including the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008. Alleged breaches of legislation should be reported in the first instance through the Citizens Advice consumer service on 03454 04 05 06 (www.citizensadvice.org.uk/). The helpline will refer on alleged breaches of legislation to the relevant authority for appropriate enforcement action.
Asked by: Paul Farrelly (Labour - Newcastle-under-Lyme)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what recent steps his Department has taken to ensure that the national minimum wage is enforced.
Answered by Kelly Tolhurst
Enforcement of the National Minimum and National Living Wage (NMW) is a priority for the Government. Since 2015 we have doubled the budget to enforce the NMW and we are taking tough action against the minority of employers who underpay. In 2018/19 HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) identified a record £24.4 million in arrears for over 220,000 workers and issued over £17 million in penalties to non-compliant employers.
HMRC proactively investigates employers where they identify a risk of non-compliance; this work accounts for around half of all investigations undertaken. In addition, HMRC responds to every worker complaint regarding NMW payment including those made anonymously.
Government is committed to helping employers comply with NMW rules first time; in April we launched a £1 million communications campaign to raise awareness and understanding of NMW rules among both workers and employers.
Asked by: Paul Farrelly (Labour - Newcastle-under-Lyme)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether he plans to require companies to disclose the proportion of their assets under management originating from countries with a poor record of human rights.
Answered by Kelly Tolhurst
Companies registered in the UK are required to report the value of their global assets within their annual accounts but there are no plans to introduce requirements to report on their assets in relation to human rights.
Government has introduced other requirements on companies in relation to human rights Quoted companies are required to report on human rights issues, as they relate to the company, within the narrative part of their annual report. Companies must include a description of their business model and of their policies, in relation to human rights, and the effectiveness of those policies. The information provided must be to the extent necessary for an understanding of the development, performance or position of the company’s business and the impact of its activities.
These requirements are enhanced by voluntary guidance and standards, including the UN’s Sustainability Development Goals (SDGs) and the Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGPs).
Asked by: Paul Farrelly (Labour - Newcastle-under-Lyme)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps he is taking to ensure that non-EU migrants working in the (a) cleaning and (b) hospitality industry receive the statutory rights they are entitled to under UK law.
Answered by Kelly Tolhurst
Non-EU migrants working legally in the UK are entitled to the same workplace statutory protections as any other worker. Fair and effective enforcement is central to the Good Work Plan, which sets out the biggest upgrade of employment rights in a generation. Building on existing minimum wage and agency worker enforcement, we are expanding state enforcement to cover holiday payments for the most vulnerable workers and intermediary companies that operate in the agency worker market.
Government has taken concrete measures to increase the number of labour market inspectors and extend their coverage.
These three enforcement bodies continue to ensure workers receive the protections they are entitled to. As well as responding to every complaint they receive, all three undertake proactive, intelligence-led enforcement, targeting employers and sectors where the risks of non-compliance are highest, including in the cleaning and hospitality sectors.
Government is also exploring options for a single labour market enforcement body – we will publish proposals on this for consultation shortly. More recently we announced that this consultation will consider extending the Gangmasters and Labour Abuse Authority’s licensing scheme to further sectors and that we will ensure trade unions and businesses are consulted on the strategic direction of labour market enforcement.
Asked by: Paul Farrelly (Labour - Newcastle-under-Lyme)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps his Department is taking to ensure businesses receive adequate training on risks presented by environmental challenges.
Answered by Claire Perry
The Environment Agency provides advice on how businesses should comply with environmental law through guidance on Gov.uk. In order to regulate businesses it provides advice on the best available techniques and approaches that enable businesses to comply with the law and helps businesses with the best available compliance techniques. We are also committed to working closely with the private sector to support the effective management of climate-related financial risks.
Asked by: Paul Farrelly (Labour - Newcastle-under-Lyme)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps his Department is taking to encourage householders to change from gas heating to (a) electric heating, (b) heat pumps and (c) hydrogen-burning radiators.
Answered by Claire Perry
Transforming how we heat our homes is one of the most difficult decarbonisation challenges facing the country. A number of options have the potential for achieving this, including heat networks, heat pumps, hydrogen and biogas. We need to continue exploring and testing different approaches to heat decarbonisation.
Through the Renewable Heat Incentive scheme we are spending £4.5 billion between 2016 and 2021 to support innovative low-carbon heat technologies in homes and businesses, including heat pumps. BEIS is considering the future policy framework for supporting electrification of heat and we are looking to launch an electrification of heat demonstration project in 2019 to inform our thinking on the feasibility of a large-scale transition to heat pumps.
For hydrogen as an option for decarbonising heat, more work is needed to prove the safety and feasibility case as well as to gain a better understanding of the costs and benefits. BEIS is currently working towards building a programme of work to address these evidence gaps in partnership with industry, academia and other key stakeholders. This includes the £25m BEIS-funded Hy4Heat programme, which is exploring the safety of using 100% hydrogen for heating in buildings and the development of domestic hydrogen boilers.
Asked by: Paul Farrelly (Labour - Newcastle-under-Lyme)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what recent steps he has taken to train and prepare workers for the impact of artificial intelligence.
Answered by Kelly Tolhurst
The Industrial Strategy sets out the Government’s vision to make the UK a global centre for AI and data innovation, alongside measures to ensure our people are equipped to capitalise on those opportunities.
We are improving the UK's system for training in digital skills and lifelong learning to ensure that working people have the support they need to navigate the challenge of automation to a higher-wage future. Through the Industrial Strategy we are delivering:
The Government’s Good Work Plan was published in December 2018 and will ensure that the labour market continues to work for everyone. The Plan commits to a wide range of policy and legislative changes to ensure that workers can access fair and decent work, that both employers and workers have the clarity they need to understand their employment relationships, and that the enforcement system is fair and fit for purpose.
Asked by: Paul Farrelly (Labour - Newcastle-under-Lyme)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that the skills and expertise are retained of people made redundant in the ceramics industry in North Staffordshire.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
A local Taskforce has been established bringing together BEIS, DWP JobCentre Plus Rapid Response Service, ACAS, National Careers Service, local partners and stakeholders to offer a comprehensive range of help and support to people made redundant recently in the ceramics industry in North Staffordshire.
A Jobs Fair held on the 18 April was attended by more than 40 employers showcasing an estimated 1,500 vacancies.