Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of varying the reference period for the guaranteed-hours provisions in the Employment Rights Bill for sectors with particularly high degrees of seasonality.

We expect the initial reference period to be 12 weeks long. The frequency and length of subsequent reference periods will be subject to consultation and set out in regulations.

We are conscious of the importance of seasonal workers and industries. There will be several ways for employers to maintain seasonal flexibility in line with the Bill. One is that the Bill allows employers to use fixed-term contracts to manage their workforce around the demand they expect.

We will consult publicly on the detail of the guaranteed hours measures.