Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the Trade Union Congress report entitled Sick pay that works, published February 2021, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of (a) current Statutory Sick Pay policies and (b) planned Statutory Sick Pay reforms on ethnic minority workers; and what steps her Department is taking to ensure Statutory Sick Pay covers those in insecure work.

The pandemic exposed how precarious work and life is for those on low incomes, with many forced to choose between their health and financial hardship. This is why, through the Employment Rights Bill, we are removing the Lower Earnings Limit so that up to 1.3 million low-paid employees will become eligible for Statutory Sick Pay. We are also removing the waiting period so that all eligible employees will receive payment from the first day of sickness absence. This will ensure the safety net of sick pay is available to those who need it most.

The impact of planned changes to Strengthen Statutory Sick Pay on ethnic minority employees is set out in full in our Equality Impact Assessment, which we published on 7 November 2024 and can be accessed here: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/making-work-pay-strengthening-statutory-sick-pay/equality-analysis-for-statutory-sick-pay-reform-measures-in-the-employment-rights-bill.

We know that employees in insecure work tend to be on lower incomes, and our planned changes to SSP will benefit millions of additional employees. The rate lower paid employees are entitled to will be based on their actual average weekly earnings, protecting those who work irregular hours.