Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the oral contribution of the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy of 27 April 2021, Official Report, column 86WH, on the Government's policy on the inappropriate use by some employers of fire and rehire as a negotiation tactic, what steps their Department has taken to (a) investigate and (b) discourage the use of fire and rehire negotiation tactics by their Department's executive non-departmental public bodies; and what steps they have taken to communicate the Government's policy on those practices to those bodies.

The Government has been very clear that threatening fire and rehire as a negotiating tactic is completely unacceptable. We always expect employers to treat employees fairly and in the spirit of partnership working with trade unions, where relevant, constructively. All non-departmental public bodies are expected to follow Department for Work and Pension’s (DWP) lead in reflecting best employment practices. We are confident that they are aware of the Government’s position on this matter.

We work constructively with each non-departmental public body we have responsibility for and this includes when it comes to workforce management matters. The senior officials responsible for Human Resources practices in the executive non-departmental public bodies meet regularly with DWP however each is ultimately responsible for the management of their staff.

The Department provides robust oversight of its public bodies through Quarterly Accountability Reviews and the Annual Report and Accounts process.