Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment she has made of the implications for her policies of the debate entitled The future of work is here…, which took place at the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe on 14 October 2022.

The UK is committed to the protection and promotion of social rights. The UK has ratified the 1961 European Social Charter (ESC), the European Code of Social Security and numerous other international social rights instruments. The UK is fully committed to all of the Council of Europe instruments it has signed up to and engages constructively on the future of the world of work and the labour market at the Council of Europe.

The UK Government has conducted its own review on the ‘Future of Work’ led by the hon. member for Boston and Skegness at the request of the previous Prime Minister. This review concluded in August 2022. The Government is considering the review’s recommendations.

The recommendations from this report will be sent to the Council of Europe’s Committee of Ministers in due course for appropriate review following the ‘The future of work is here…’ debate of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe.