1-20 of 2,145 results for answeredby:"Jo Swinson"
Librarians' tools
- Search time
- 0.366 seconds
- Solr query time
- 0.005 seconds
- Search query
- answeredby:"Jo Swinson"
- We searched for
- answeringMember_ses:303891 OR answeringDept_ses:303891 OR askedToReplyAuthor_ses:303891
Type
House
Session
Year
Department
More
Member
More
Primary member
More
Answering member
Legislative stage
Legislation
More
Subject
More
Publisher
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what the average hourly pay is of employees in his Department identified as (a) White or White British and (b) from a Black, Asian or other minority ethnic group.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what the average hourly pay is of employees in his Department identified as (a) White or White British and (b) from a Black, Asian or other minority ethnic group.
In the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS), the average hourly rate of pay for White or White British employees is £23.53. For BIS employees that are Black, Asian or other minority ethnic groups (including mixed race), the hourly rate is £20.07.
Please note that the above figures reflect the different levels of seniority of the employees that have provided their ethnicity information. This information is declared on a voluntary basis.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what steps his Department is taking to ensure market compliance with EU Regulation 1007/2011 on textile labelling in regard to (a) the new requirement for textile products containing non-textile parts of animal origin to be clearly labelled as such...
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what steps his Department is taking to ensure market compliance with EU Regulation 1007/2011 on textile labelling in regard to (a) the new requirement for textile products containing non-textile parts of animal origin to be clearly labelled as such...
It is important that consumers have accurate information to enable them to make informed choices when they are buying textile products that contain non-textile parts of animal origin.
The 2012 regulations on textile labelling replaced three separate Directives and simplified and improved a complex framework which was difficult to enforce and confusing for business. Responsibility for enforcement lies with local authority trading standards officers in Great Britain and the Department of Enterprise and Trade and Investment in Northern Ireland. Any evidence of possible offences should be brought to their attention.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what steps he is taking to support pubs.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what steps he is taking to support pubs.
This Government is committed to supporting a fair and flourishing pubs sector. We have scrapped the beer duty escalator, and in Budget 2015 we cut beer duty for the third year in a row.
Through the Community Right to Bid, we are giving community organisations in England a better chance to save their local pub by listing it as an Asset of Community Value (ACV). And, from 6 April, we will strengthen the hands of communities whose pub is listed as an ACV still further by removing permitted development rights from those pubs.
Through the Small Business, Enterprise and Employment Bill, we are introducing a Statutory Code of Practice and an independent Adjudicator to govern the relationship between large pub-owning companies and the thousands of tenants that run tied pubs across England and Wales. These measures will help to ensure the pubs industry continues to flourish, to the benefit of all those who work so hard to make the pub the mainstay of our communities.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what recent discussions he has had on the EU Accounting and Transparency Directives; and what steps he is taking to ensure compliance with those Directives.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what recent discussions he has had on the EU Accounting and Transparency Directives; and what steps he is taking to ensure compliance with those Directives.
Since making the Reports on Payments to Government Regulations and the introduction of the Financial Conduct Authority rules in December 2014 the government has continued to have discussions with all stakeholders. The most recent meeting between the department, civil society and industry representatives was held in February 2015. I have since spoken to representatives from the Publish What You Pay coalition.
The Government takes extractive transparency very seriously. To support compliance the department has made information available on the gov.uk website. This includes a schema for delivering reports and step by step guidance on how to fill in the report format, both agreed with industry and civil society.
The Government expects companies to comply with the requirements of the Regulations, which set out the enforcement and penalty regime for any company that fails to comply in part or in full.
Reports will be published on the Companies House website in 2016, when all interested parties will be able to consider the reports and their accuracy.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, with reference to paragraph 5.27 of the Low Pay Commission Report 2015, if he will take steps alongside stakeholders in the entertainment industry to produce and publish national minimum wage guidance for that sector.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, with reference to paragraph 5.27 of the Low Pay Commission Report 2015, if he will take steps alongside stakeholders in the entertainment industry to produce and publish national minimum wage guidance for that sector.
We are committed to improving compliance with the National Minimum Wage. We do not currently have plans to publish guidance for individual sectors; however we will carefully consider the Low Pay Commissions (LPC) recommendations.
We continue to work with the LPC and HMRC to ensure we provide clear and comprehensive information on the minimum wage rules, particularly in those sectors with complex ways of working. We will work with our stakeholders, including the entertainment industry, to make further improvements to the clarity of National Minimum Wage guidance and consider whether sector-specific guidance is necessary.
To date, we have improved the clarity of the National Minimum Wage regulations by consolidating the numerous amendments made since 1999 and making it easier for employers to understand the rules. These will come into force on 6 April.
We have listened to stakeholders and have recognised that employers and workers also value official guidance. We have published detailed guidance on calculating the National Minimum Wage which is available on Gov.uk. This guidance aims to equip employers with the information they need to ensure they pay their workers the statutory minimum.
We have also improved the information available on gov.uk on the National Minimum Wage rules, including:
· The current and future National Minimum Wage rates
· The Worker checklist
· Work experience and internships
· The increased penalty for breaching National Minimum Wage
· The revised Criteria for Naming and shaming employers who breach National Minimum Wage legislation.
Employers and workers can access further guidance by contacting the Acas Helpline online at: www.acas.org.uk/helplineonline or by phone on 0300 123 1100.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, pursuant to the Answer of 18 March 2015 to Question 228233 and the Written Statement of 4 November 2013, Official Report, 1WS, if he will ensure that staff seconded from the Employment Agency Standards Inspectorate (EAS) to HM Revenue...
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, pursuant to the Answer of 18 March 2015 to Question 228233 and the Written Statement of 4 November 2013, Official Report, 1WS, if he will ensure that staff seconded from the Employment Agency Standards Inspectorate (EAS) to HM Revenue...
The resources in EAS have doubled this year and will increase again in the next financial year. Since November 2014, three staff who were on loan to HMRC have returned to EAS.
We are currently undertaking a recruitment exercise to further increase EAS resources and the remaining EAS staff on loan may apply to return if they choose.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, pursuant to the Answer of 18 March 2015 to Question 228233, what the most common breaches of obligations under the (a) Conduct of Employment Agencies and Employment Businesses Regulations 2003 and (b) Employment Agencies Act 1973 identified by the...
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, pursuant to the Answer of 18 March 2015 to Question 228233, what the most common breaches of obligations under the (a) Conduct of Employment Agencies and Employment Businesses Regulations 2003 and (b) Employment Agencies Act 1973 identified by the...
The most common breaches of the obligations under the Conduct Regulations are:
Regulation 12 - Withholding payment for work undertaken
Regulation 13 – Information to be given in writing about goods or services provided by the agency
Regulation 14 – Terms to be agreed with a work-seeker
Regulation 15 – Specific information to be contained in the terms agreed under Regulation 14
The most common breach of the obligations under the Employment Agencies Act is charging for work finding services which is a breach of Section 6 (1) of the Employment Agencies Act 1973.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, pursuant to the Answer of 18 March 2015 to Question 228233, which potential breaches of the (a) Conduct of Employment Agencies and Employment Businesses Regulations 2003 and (b) Employment Agencies Act 1973 were identified in the inspections of employment...
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, pursuant to the Answer of 18 March 2015 to Question 228233, which potential breaches of the (a) Conduct of Employment Agencies and Employment Businesses Regulations 2003 and (b) Employment Agencies Act 1973 were identified in the inspections of employment...
Across the agencies visited in Sheffield in February, the following potential breaches of the Conduct Regulations were found:
Regulation 5 – Cannot make the provision of work-finding conditionally upon buying goods or services supplied by the agency
Regulation 10 – Transfer fees for a temporary worker moving to a permanent position with a hirer or third party
Regulation 13 – Information to be given in writing about goods or services provided by the agency
Regulation 14 – Terms to be agreed with a work-seeker
Regulation 15 – Specific information to be contained in the terms agreed under Regulation 14
Regulation 17 – Terms to be agreed with the hirer
Regulation 18 – Information to be obtained from the hirer in relation to the work to be undertaken
Regulation 19 – Confirmation to be obtained about a work seeker
Regulation 21 – Confirmation of information to be passed to both the work-seeker and hirer about each other
Regulation 24 – Covers where a work seeker is required to travel and/or live away from home to undertake an assignment, and loans
Regulation 28 – Confidentiality and use of the information provided to the agency by the work-seeker
Regulation 29 – Maintenance of records to show compliance with these Regulations
Regulation 32 – Changes that need to be made to terms to reflect the fact that the work-seeker is incorporated
There was also one potential instance of charging for work finding services which is a breach of Section 6 (1) of the Employment Agencies Act 1973.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, pursuant to the Answer of 18 March 2015 to Question 228233, what additional staffing the Employment Agency Standards Inspectorate has allocated to conduct targeted enforcement action in high risk areas.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, pursuant to the Answer of 18 March 2015 to Question 228233, what additional staffing the Employment Agency Standards Inspectorate has allocated to conduct targeted enforcement action in high risk areas.
The resources in Employment Agency Standards (EAS) have doubled this year and will increase again in the next financial year.
All of the staff in the EAS Inspectorate carry out both complaint investigation and targeted enforcement operations in high risk areas.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, pursuant to the Answer of 18 March 2015 to Question 228233, how the increased resources for the Employment Agency Standards Inspectorate in this financial year have been allocated.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, pursuant to the Answer of 18 March 2015 to Question 228233, how the increased resources for the Employment Agency Standards Inspectorate in this financial year have been allocated.
All of the increased resources in the Employment Agency Standards (EAS) Inspectorate have been allocated to front line posts
We have recruited two additional EAS Inspectors and an Operations and Prosecutions Manager, all of whom carry warrant cards and carry out both complaint investigation and targeted enforcement operations in high risk areas.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, pursuant to the contribution of the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills of 25 November 2014, Official Report, column 257WH, what progress he has made on reviewing proposals to amend the Furniture and Furnishing (Fire) (Safety)...
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, pursuant to the contribution of the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills of 25 November 2014, Official Report, column 257WH, what progress he has made on reviewing proposals to amend the Furniture and Furnishing (Fire) (Safety)...
The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills has been carefully analysing the responses to the consultation on the proposed amendments to certain test schedules in the Furniture and Furnishings (Fire) (Safety) Regulations 1988. The Government response to this consultation was published on 25 March 2015 and can be accessed at www.gov.uk/government/consultations/furniture-fire-safety-regulations-proposed-amendments.
My hon. Friend is absolutely right to highlight the success of this industry, and I mentioned in my earlier answer the quality of the products produced; this is a good success story for the export industry, which is why it is important that the ceramics industry continues to get support and we promote the quality of the products around the world.
My hon. Friend is absolutely right to highlight the success of this industry, and I mentioned in my earlier answer the quality of the products produced; this is a good success story for the export industry, which is why it is important that the ceramics industry continues to get support and we promote the quality of the products around the world.
I agree entirely with the hon. Member for Stoke-on-Trent North (Joan Walley) and praise her championing of the ceramics industry over so many years. Does the Minister agree that this issue is incredibly important because the ceramics industry is a considerable net exporter and therefore helps our balance of payments?
All employees on a zero-hours contract can already, after 26 weeks, request a move to a fixed-hours contract. That flexible working legislation measure was implemented on 30 June 2014. In the Small Business, Employment and Enterprise Bill, we will ban the unfair use of exclusivity clauses in zero-hours contracts, and the employment status review is looking further at the employment rights that zero-hours workers have.
All employees on a zero-hours contract can already, after 26 weeks, request a move to a fixed-hours contract. That flexible working legislation measure was implemented on 30 June 2014. In the Small Business, Employment and Enterprise Bill, we will ban the unfair use of exclusivity clauses in zero-hours contracts, and the employment status review is looking further at the employment rights that zero-hours workers have.
If he will ensure that employees working on zero-hours contracts who are in practice working regular hours over an extended period have the right to a fixed-term contract.
I wholeheartedly disagree with the hon. Gentleman. I am proud that we are taking forward measures in that Bill to protect workers on zero-hours contracts. I am very proud of the work we have done to enforce the national minimum wage, which of course is one of the key protections for workers on low pay. Of course we always need to keep employment law under review, and the employment status review I mentioned is a really useful piece of work that will make sure that the next Parliament can consider these issues further. In terms of modernising workplaces, shared parental leave, flexible working, and increasing the national minimum wage and enforcing it better, we have a very strong record to be proud of.
I wholeheartedly disagree with the hon. Gentleman. I am proud that we are taking forward measures in that Bill to protect workers on zero-hours contracts. I am very proud of the work we have done to enforce the national minimum wage, which of course is one of the key protections for workers on low pay. Of course we always need to keep employment law under review, and the employment status review I mentioned is a really useful piece of work that will make sure that the next Parliament can consider these issues further. In terms of modernising workplaces, shared parental leave, flexible working, and increasing the national minimum wage and enforcing it better, we have a very strong record to be proud of.
May I take the Minister forward to the morning of 8 May, when she will be in her kitchen having a moment of kitchen candour over her muesli, liberated from control by the thought police of the Tory nomenklatura, and she will be making a judgment on her Department’s legacy on the question of the most vulnerable of workers, those on low pay and on zero-hours contracts? Would that verdict not be, “Nothing achieved, much lost”?
My hon. Friend rightly points out that it this Government who have taken action on this issue. It is right that as the employment market changes—there will, rightly, always be evolution and flexibility in the UK labour market—we need to make sure we keep the legislation and that framework under review. The work that has been done on the employment status review will play a really important role in forming that discussion in the next Parliament.
My hon. Friend rightly points out that it this Government who have taken action on this issue. It is right that as the employment market changes—there will, rightly, always be evolution and flexibility in the UK labour market—we need to make sure we keep the legislation and that framework under review. The work that has been done on the employment status review will play a really important role in forming that discussion in the next Parliament.
I, too, am pleased that this Government have been proactive in investigating, consulting and taking bold action to prevent the abuse of zero-hours contracts. Does the Minister agree that that is in contrast with the zero efforts on this subject of the previous Labour Government?
As I have said, we have taken action on zero-hours contracts, and the next Parliament will have to consider whether anything further needs to be done on that issue. We must keep the matter under review. This Government have been absolutely determined to build a stronger economy and a fairer society, and I wholeheartedly agree with that.
As I have said, we have taken action on zero-hours contracts, and the next Parliament will have to consider whether anything further needs to be done on that issue. We must keep the matter under review. This Government have been absolutely determined to build a stronger economy and a fairer society, and I wholeheartedly agree with that.
The Conservative party’s parroting of the slogan, “long-term economic plan” rings very hollowly —[Interruption.] Will Members listen to the views of the constituents of Newcastle? It rings very hollowly in Newcastle where many of my constituents cannot even plan for the next week, because they do not know how many hours they will be working. The exploitative use of zero-hours contracts has rocketed under this Government. Why will the Minister not sign up to Labour’s plans to end it?
There are issues around such contracts that employers should address. We are working with different sectors in industry to encourage them to bring forward guidance on the responsible use of zero-hours contracts. Many people who are on zero-hours contracts are perfectly happy with them. The problem is not with the contracts themselves but with the behaviour of some employers.
There are issues around such contracts that employers should address. We are working with different sectors in industry to encourage them to bring forward guidance on the responsible use of zero-hours contracts. Many people who are on zero-hours contracts are perfectly happy with them. The problem is not with the contracts themselves but with the behaviour of some employers.
Zero-hours shifts are often cancelled at 20 or 30 minutes’ notice. Does the Minister think that that is fair? If she thinks it is unfair, what would she do about it?
The hon. Lady raises very important issues. We are already looking at the issue of self-employment. Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs is doing so from a tax perspective, and we are also doing so in the employment status review because it is important that people have the protections they need as employees and that unscrupulous employers do not try to evade their employment responsibilities.
May I say thank you to colleagues on both sides of the House for their engagement in the debate on my portfolio issues in the past two and a half years? I never expected to become a Minister when I was elected in 2005. I have enjoyed it immensely and I hope I have made a difference in protecting consumers, improving corporate responsibility and modernising workplaces.
The hon. Lady raises very important issues. We are already looking at the issue of self-employment. Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs is doing so from a tax perspective, and we are also doing so in the employment status review because it is important that people have the protections they need as employees and that unscrupulous employers do not try to evade their employment responsibilities.
May I say thank you to colleagues on both sides of the House for their engagement in the debate on my portfolio issues in the past two and a half years? I never expected to become a Minister when I was elected in 2005. I have enjoyed it immensely and I hope I have made a difference in protecting consumers, improving corporate responsibility and modernising workplaces.
Newcastle United football club and City Link share an owner, and the fans of the one and the workers of the other have suffered as a result. Indeed, the
Scottish Affairs Committee recently berated him for his attitude to this House. Following the publication of its report, will the Secretary of State follow the example of my hon. Friend the shadow Secretary of State and call for steps to tackle false self-employment, which damages workers and leaves them without proper protection and support?
If he will make it his policy to promote origin marking on ceramic products.
If he will make it his policy to promote origin marking on ceramic products.
We have no plans to introduce a requirement for origin marking for ceramic products. However, ceramics companies continue to be free to use origin marking on a voluntary basis. Industry sectors with well-deserved reputations for design and quality, such as the UK ceramics industry, may find this a helpful promotional tool.
If he will ensure that employees working on zero-hours contracts who are in practice working regular hours over an extended period have the right to a fixed-term contract.
If he will ensure that employees working on zero-hours contracts who are in practice working regular hours over an extended period have the right to a fixed-term contract.
All employees on a zero-hours contract can already, after 26 weeks, request a move to a fixed-hours contract. That flexible working legislation measure was implemented on 30 June 2014. In the Small Business, Employment and Enterprise Bill, we will ban the unfair use of exclusivity clauses in zero-hours contracts, and the employment status review is looking further at the employment rights that zero-hours workers have.