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Written question asked by Lord Kennedy of Southwark (Labour) on Monday, 28 September 2020, in the House of Lords. It was due for an answer on Monday, 12 October 2020. It was answered by Lord Callanan (Conservative) on Monday, 12 October 2020 on behalf of the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy.

Remote Working

Question

To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the case for a comprehensive review of any changes to the legal position of (1) employers, and (2) employees, as a result of an increase in home working arrangements.

Answer

On 28th September, the Government made changes to the legal position around self-isolation making it an offence for an individual to leave their place of self-isolation (normally home) during the isolating period (either following a positive Covid test, contact by NHS Test and Trace or if they have returned from abroad and are required to quarantine). In order to support this, we have also made it an offence for an employer to knowingly allow a person who has been told to self-isolate to work anywhere other than where they are self-isolating. Often the best solution when someone is self-isolating is for them to work from home.

When it comes to homeworking more generally, we are aware that the period of increased homeworking has raised numerous issues which employers and employees need to consider. ACAS has produced comprehensive guidance on the key employer considerations for when people are working at home during the pandemic. This covers health and safety, data protection and insurance – the link to the relevant section of the ACAS site can be found here https://www.acas.org.uk/working-from-home.

It is a statutory requirement for employers to put measures in place to ensure that a workplace is safe – wherever that workplace is – and to take steps to manage the relevant risks. The new self-isolation offence does not change this legal framework.

Secondary information

Type
Written question
Reference
HL8531
Session
2019-21
Subjects
Employment Remote working Reviews
Link
View this Written question on www.parliament.uk