Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that requirements on agencies to offer guaranteed hours contracts do not reduce flexibility; and if he will consider reforms to allow such contracts to be requested by workers on the basis of hours worked with their agency.

Answered by Kate Dearden - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)

The Government believes agency workers should be able to access a contract which reflects the hours they regularly work. Agency workers who prefer a more flexible arrangement can reject any guaranteed hours offer.

It will generally be hirers’ responsibility to offer guaranteed hours to qualifying agency workers, but regulations will be able to transfer the obligation on agencies or other intermediaries in certain scenarios. We will consult to ensure the measures work for agencies, hirers and agency workers.

We believe it could create undesirable barriers for agency workers to access guaranteed hours if they had to request guaranteed hours offers.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps she is taking to ensure that the Autumn Budget 2025 incentivises businesses to invest in (a) job creation and (b) workforce development.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

Economic growth is the central mission of this government, and we recognise that sustainable growth can only be achieved in partnership with businesses and other stakeholders.

We are providing long-term stability through clear fiscal rules that give firms the confidence to hire and expand. Through the National Wealth Fund, we are unlocking over £70 billion in private investment and creating jobs across key sectors. We are also advancing structural reforms to drive business-led job creation, including a new modern Industrial Strategy, agreeing new trade deals, reforming the UK planning system, and have launched the Backing Your Business plan, which delivers targeted support for small and medium-sized enterprises.

To support workforce development, we are transforming the apprenticeship levy into a more flexible Growth and Skills Levy, enabling employers to fund a wider range of high-quality training, including shorter and foundation apprenticeships and short courses under the Industrial Strategy. Employers are also supported through an NIC exemption for apprentices under 25.

However, we cannot comment in advance on Budget measures.