Zero-hours Contracts

Debate between Vince Cable and Nick de Bois

Wednesday 16th October 2013 Commons Chamber

[Vince Cable]

There are many industries of that kind, and I shall shortly enumerate them. I do not want to eulogise this system of employment because there clearly are problems in many sectors, but it has worked well in other sectors. That is why when it comes to rushing to prohibitions, we need to be careful about the unintended consequences.

[Nick de Bois]

The Secretary of State gives me the opportunity of raising the point that I was hoping to raise with the shadow Secretary of State. I would never have knowingly employed someone on a zero-hours contract, because I do not like such contracts and do not think them appropriate, but it is clear that many managerial, technical and education people are working on them. However, the suggestion in the Opposition motion of

“banning the use of zero hours contracts where employees are in practice working regular hours”

will catch people who are quite content to work on that basis, when, I imagine, the target is those who are abusing the system. That is why I would find it difficult to support the motion. I would welcome the Secretary of State’s comments on that.

[Vince Cable]

The hon. Gentleman is absolutely right, and that is why a rush to ban certain forms of general practice could have serious negative unintended consequences. That is not to say that we should not do something, but a commitment to ban without having obtained the evidence would be highly premature.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Vince Cable and Nick de Bois

Thursday 14th July 2011 Commons Chamber

[Vince Cable]

To reduce what is unfortunately the substantial amount of bureaucracy in this area, we are greatly simplifying the number of funding channels and the number of institutions and introducing outcome-based payments for large employers that are training providers. The point behind the hon. Lady’s question is that apprenticeships and vocational training are a great success story for employers, who are beginning to see their real advantages, for young people, who see benefits for their own careers, and for the Government, who have prioritised them and seen the results.

[Nick de Bois (Enfield North) (Con)]

Does the Secretary of State welcome the apprenticeship initiative led by Johnson Matthey and announced this week in my constituency of 100 days for 100 new apprenticeships, the launch of which I attended, and will he recommend it to other Members as a course of action to provide support for the local economy and local new apprenticeships?

[Vince Cable]

I would strongly recommend it. I believe that 24 such schemes have already been launched and more than 5,000 apprenticeships have been generated in that way. I congratulate the hon. Gentleman on his role in promoting it in his constituency and compliment the company, whose headquarters in Royston I visited a few weeks ago. It is a superb and innovative British manufacturing company that is exporting most of its production and investing in skills for the long term.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Vince Cable and Nick de Bois

Thursday 17th February 2011 Commons Chamber

[Nick de Bois (Enfield North) (Con)]

T2. Does my right hon. Friend agree that tackling vexatious employment claims and introducing more flexibility for employers will encourage the growth of jobs and a sustainable economy?

[The Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills (Vince Cable)]

The response that the Under-Secretary of State, my hon. Friend the Member for Kingston and Surbiton (Mr Davey), gave to the hon. Member for Rugby (Mark Pawsey) a few moments ago answers the question. The consultation process is under way. We want to deal with the problem that the hon. Member for Enfield North (Nick de Bois) raises, which is a big one, in two ways—first, by increasing the period of employment from one to two years before claims can be made, and, secondly, by insisting that all disputes that go to tribunals should go through a conciliation stage first.