Asked by: Stephen Morgan (Labour - Portsmouth South)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether her Department is taking steps to help support people made redundant by The Body Shop International Limited.
Answered by Kevin Hollinrake - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
While this is a commercial decision for the company, we understand that this will be a concerning time for workers at The Body Shop, and we stand ready to support those impacted.
Affected employees will be able to access our broad range of support, including Universal Credit and JobCentre Plus, through the Department for Work and Pension's Rapid Response Service.
Employees who worked for the company under an employment contract may be eligible for statutory redundancy pay, compensatory notice pay, and holiday pay, for which they can apply to the Insolvency Service.
Asked by: Julian Knight (Independent - Solihull)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what information their Department holds on the level of staff retention; and what steps they are taking to improve staff retention.
Answered by Nigel Huddleston - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
Civil Service turnover in the Department for International Trade (DIT) was 8.1% in 2022/23.
As part of Machinery of Government changes, DIT has since become The Department of Business and Trade (DBT).
As part of the leavers process for DBT each leaver is sent a link to a survey to gather more information around the reasons the individual is leaving, such as career development or better pay and conditions. This narrative is beneficial to inform future policy decisions.
Examples of current activities to support attraction and retention:
Asked by: Andy McDonald (Labour - Middlesbrough)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to improve seafarer (a) pay and (b) employment conditions on vessels which provide regular shipping services from UK (i) ports and (ii) Freeports but fall out of scope of the measures in the Seafarers Wages Bill and are not covered by collective bargaining agreements with the maritime trade unions.
Answered by Richard Holden - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)
The Department with input from industry and maritime trade unions is developing the voluntary Seafarers’ Charter to improve working conditions for seafarers. The charter will set minimum standards for overtime pay, access to social protections and address the use of voyage contracts. Further information about the Charter and its provisions will be made available in due course.
We are also looking to implement the improvements to employment conditions for seafarers that were agreed with the support of the UK at the May 2022 meeting of the Special Tripartite Committee of the Maritime Labour Convention. The amendments to the Convention include those to ensure that food and drinking water of appropriate quality is provided free of charge and that seafarers are provided with details of insurance before or during the engagement process. The Department has also supported guidelines requiring the provision of internet access to seafarers on ships in port at free or low cost and has commissioned research on this to ensure the UK remains at forefront of the global seafaring community.
We are in ongoing discussions with international partners, industry and trade unions to drive forward seafarer working conditions.
Asked by: Chris Stephens (Scottish National Party - Glasgow South West)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what human resources information their Department shares with trade unions on a regular basis.
Answered by Nigel Huddleston - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Department for International Trade regularly shares information with the recognised departmental trade unions where appropriate and that supports union representatives in carrying out their responsibilities under the Trade Union and Labour Relations (Consolidation) Act 1992. This includes details on pay, terms and conditions and other human resource policies, as well as information regarding employee experience initiatives and other organisational transformation or change which is shared as part of regular trade union engagement.
In addition, a range of information regarding the departmental workforce is available publicly on GOV.UK.
Asked by: Ruth Cadbury (Labour - Brentford and Isleworth)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, how many Ministers in her Department received ministerial severance pay for leaving office in 2022.
Answered by Nigel Huddleston - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
Under the Ministerial and Other Pensions and Salaries Act 1991, eligible Ministers who leave office are entitled to a one-off payment equivalent to one quarter of their annual salary at the point at which they leave Government.
Details of such payments are published in the departmental annual reports and accounts, and ministerial salaries are published on GOV.UK at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/ministerial-salary-data/salaries-of-members-of-his-majestys-government-april-2022-html
Asked by: Ruth Cadbury (Labour - Brentford and Isleworth)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, which Ministers formerly in her Department have received ministerial severance pay since leaving office in 2022.
Answered by Nigel Huddleston - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
Details of such payments are published in the departmental annual reports and accounts, and ministerial salaries are published on GOV.UK at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/ministerial-salary-data/salaries-of-members-of-his-majestys-government-april-2022-html
Asked by: Christine Jardine (Liberal Democrat - Edinburgh West)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what the cost to the public purse has been of Ministerial severance pay in her Department in each year since 1 January 2016.
Answered by Nigel Huddleston - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
Under the Ministerial and Other Pensions and Salaries Act 1991, eligible Ministers who leave office are entitled to a one off payment equivalent to one quarter of their annual salary at the point at which they leave Government. This applies only where a Minister is under 65 and is not appointed to a ministerial office within three weeks of leaving government. Individuals may waive the payment to which they are entitled. That is a matter for their personal discretion. Details of such payments are published in departmental annual reports and accounts, and ministerial salaries are published on GOV.UK at https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1027301/Salaries_of_Members_of_Her_Majestys_Government_-_Financial_Year_2021-22_-_Publication.pdf.
Asked by: Emily Thornberry (Labour - Islington South and Finsbury)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what total amount of money has been paid out by her Department in severance payments for former (a) Ministers and (b) special advisers since 29 June 2022; how much of that money has subsequently been repaid to her Department as a result of individuals (A) rejecting the payment or (B) returning to new roles; and in how many cases where individuals were in post for (I) 0-3 months, (II) 3-6 months, (III) 6-12 months and (IV) more than 12 months has their full severance payment been retained as of 2 November 2022.
Answered by Nigel Huddleston - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Provision of severance payments for Ministers is set out in legislation (Section 4 of the Ministerial and Other Pensions and Salaries Act 1991). Details of the severance payments made to ministers when leaving office are published in departments’ annual reports and accounts.
Similarly, the provision of severance payments for special advisers is set out in the Model Contract, which is available on gov.uk, including provisions for repayment of severance if reappointed. The cost of severance payments made to special advisers across government is published annually by the Cabinet Office.
Asked by: Pat McFadden (Labour - Wolverhampton South East)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, how many (a) direct employees, (b) contractors, and (c) agency workers who work in their Department and relevant agencies and public bodies, receive a wage below that of either (i) the UK Real Living Wage outside of Greater London, or (ii) the London Living Wage inside of Greater London, as determined by the Living Wage Foundation.
Answered by Penny Mordaunt - Lord President of the Council and Leader of the House of Commons
The Department for International Trade does not have any direct employees, contractors or agency workers that receive a wage below the UK Real Living Wage outside of Greater London or the London Living Wage inside of Greater London.
Asked by: Jon Trickett (Labour - Hemsworth)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what the wage ratio was between the highest paid member of staff in her Department and the lowest in (a) 2020, (b) 2021 and (c) 2022.
Answered by Penny Mordaunt - Lord President of the Council and Leader of the House of Commons
Below are the ratios between the highest and lowest paid earner at the Department for International Trade for 2019/20, 2020/21 and 2021/22:
Period | Rounded Ratio |
2019/20 | 14:1 |
2020/21 | 16:1 |
2021/22 | Figures will be published in the July 2022 ARA. |
Below are the ratios between the highest and lowest paid earner at UK Export Finance for 2019/20, 2020/21 and 2021/22:
Period | Rounded Ratio |
2019/20 | 12:1 |
2020/21 | 12:1 |
2021/22 | 13:1 |