Written question asked by Lord Bellingham (Conservative) on Tuesday, 14 October 2003, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Wednesday, 29 October 2003. It was answered by Lord Browne of Ladyton (Labour) on Wednesday, 29 October 2003 on behalf of the Department for Work and Pensions.

Dept for Work and Pensions

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what plans he has to require, as part of employers liability compulsory insurance, main contractors to bear responsibility for any subcontractors that they employ.

Answer: Mr. Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what plans he has to require, as part of Employers Liability Compulsory Insurance, main contractors to bear responsibility for any subcontractors that they employ. [132842] Mr. Browne: For the overwhelming majority of employers it is a legal requirement to have Employers' Liability Compulsory Insurance (ELCI). In support of this, model conditions of contract in guidance on procurement in the public sector expect contractors to comply with the requirement to have (ELCI) and provide that contractors shall be responsible for the acts and omissions of their sub-contractors as though they were their own. However the Government intends to issue supplementary guidance with reference to ELCI, to make the confirmation of contractor and subcontractor compliance a more explicit part of the tendering process. We would encourage a similar standard in the private sector.

Secondary information