Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, with reference to the planned Right to Switch Off, what plans he has for the application of this policy (a) on fallow days for employees, (b) during office hours on Mondays to Fridays for people who work (i) standard working patterns, (ii) part-time and (iii) compressed hours and (c) for people who work four-day weeks on full-pay.

In “Next Steps to Make Work Pay” the Government said it would deliver the right to switch off through a Statutory Code of Practice, rather than through the Employment Rights Bill.

A Code of Practice sets out guidelines for employers to follow. A failure to comply with a code of practice can be taken into account by an Employment Tribunal. We are developing the content of a draft Code with key stakeholders including both business representative groups and trade unions. In due course, that draft Code will be subject to a full formal consultation process.