Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps he has taken to ensure the guaranteed hours provisions of the Employment Rights Act 2025 support access to (a) seasonal workers, (b) agency workers and (c) people seeking flexible employment in the retail sector.

The Employment Rights Act 2025 includes flexibility to address issues of seasonal demand, for example, enabling employers that operate seasonally to use fixed-term contracts where the demand for work is genuinely temporary. We will consider further ways to cater for seasonal work through regulations following consultation, as well as application to agency workers. Workers and agency workers will also be able to decline a guaranteed hours offer if they wish.

All employees also have a day one right to request a flexible working arrangement, and through the Employment Rights Act we are making it more likely that flexible working requests are accepted.