Written question asked by Desmond Swayne (Conservative) on Wednesday, 10 December 2025, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Monday, 15 December 2025 (named day). It was answered by Kate Dearden (Labour) on Monday, 15 December 2025 on behalf of the Department for Business and Trade.

Temporary Employment: Working Hours

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if he has made an assessment of how reasonable notice periods may vary for agency workers in sectors that require high levels of flexibility or short notice.

Answer: The government understands that what should be considered reasonable notice will differ depending on different sectors and circumstances. Regulations will specify how much notice should be ‘presumed reasonable’ as well as other factors that should be considered when determining whether the notice was reasonable or not, as opposed to setting a single notice period to be deemed reasonable in all cases. Decisions on these regulations will depend on the outcome of the forthcoming consultation on the details of the measures to end exploitative zero hours contracts.

Secondary information