Asked by: Karl Turner (Labour - Kingston upon Hull East)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will take steps to ensure that HMRC National Minimum Wage Enforcement increase the amount of targeted enforcement work for seafarers working in the shipping industry.
Answered by Kelly Tolhurst
Enforcement of the National Minimum Wage is a priority for the Government. Since 2015, we have doubled the budget to enforce the NMW and in 2018/19 HM Revenue & Customs identified a record £24.4 million in arrears for over 220,000 workers.
HMRC takes a risk-based approach to enforcement, which means they can flex their resources to tackle an emerging threat or issue, including for seafarers working in the shipping industry. Indeed, HMRC have recently closed a seafarer case, where arrears of £31,042 were identified for 9 workers, with penalties of over £56,000.
The Government has begun working on the next steps necessary to extend the NMW to all seafarers on all vessels on domestic voyages in UK territorial waters, and will look to introduce legislation in the autumn.
Asked by: Karl Turner (Labour - Kingston upon Hull East)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, with reference to Table 4 in the Director of Labour Market Enforcement’s 2018-19 Strategy, published on 9 May 2018, what criteria were used to compile the non-exhaustive list of trades unions.
Answered by Andrew Griffiths
Table 4 lists some of the key stakeholders that the Director of Labour Market Enforcement consulted to gather evidence for his Labour Market Enforcement Strategy 2018-19. This is not an exhaustive list but illustrates the breadth of stakeholders connected to labour market enforcement, including those trade unions with whom the Director had most engagement in developing his 2018/19 Strategy.
A full list of stakeholders who responded to the consultation, including trade unions, is located at the Strategy’s Annex C.
In the 2016 Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE), 34,700 jobs in the Transportation and Storage sector were paid at or below the National Minimum Wage (NMW). However, it is not possible to further break down this figure for individual sectors within the transport industry.
The Government will publish new evidence to the Low Pay Commission containing ASHE 2017 estimates of jobs below minimum wage rates and enforcement statistics for 2017/18 later this year.
The Director has built strong relationships with a range of organisations since his office was established in January 2017. The Government is supportive of the work the Information Hub has taken to promote greater information sharing amongst stakeholders and increase its knowledge of labour exploitation in the UK labour market.
There have been no specific discussions at Cabinet-level on the contribution of regulatory bodies in the transport and offshore energy industries to the DLME’s Information Hub.
Asked by: Karl Turner (Labour - Kingston upon Hull East)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, with reference to Section H of Table 5 in the Director of Labour Market Enforcement’s 2018-19 Strategy, published on 9 May 2018, how many workers in each sector of the transport industry were recorded as being paid (a) at or (b) below the National Minimum Wage.
Answered by Andrew Griffiths
Table 4 lists some of the key stakeholders that the Director of Labour Market Enforcement consulted to gather evidence for his Labour Market Enforcement Strategy 2018-19. This is not an exhaustive list but illustrates the breadth of stakeholders connected to labour market enforcement, including those trade unions with whom the Director had most engagement in developing his 2018/19 Strategy.
A full list of stakeholders who responded to the consultation, including trade unions, is located at the Strategy’s Annex C.
In the 2016 Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE), 34,700 jobs in the Transportation and Storage sector were paid at or below the National Minimum Wage (NMW). However, it is not possible to further break down this figure for individual sectors within the transport industry.
The Government will publish new evidence to the Low Pay Commission containing ASHE 2017 estimates of jobs below minimum wage rates and enforcement statistics for 2017/18 later this year.
The Director has built strong relationships with a range of organisations since his office was established in January 2017. The Government is supportive of the work the Information Hub has taken to promote greater information sharing amongst stakeholders and increase its knowledge of labour exploitation in the UK labour market.
There have been no specific discussions at Cabinet-level on the contribution of regulatory bodies in the transport and offshore energy industries to the DLME’s Information Hub.
Asked by: Karl Turner (Labour - Kingston upon Hull East)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, with reference to Section 3.8 of the Director of Labour Market Enforcement’s (DLME) 2018-19 Strategy, published on 9 May 2018, what discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues on the contribution of regulatory bodies in the (a) transport and (b) offshore energy industries to the DLME’s Information Hub.
Answered by Andrew Griffiths
Table 4 lists some of the key stakeholders that the Director of Labour Market Enforcement consulted to gather evidence for his Labour Market Enforcement Strategy 2018-19. This is not an exhaustive list but illustrates the breadth of stakeholders connected to labour market enforcement, including those trade unions with whom the Director had most engagement in developing his 2018/19 Strategy.
A full list of stakeholders who responded to the consultation, including trade unions, is located at the Strategy’s Annex C.
In the 2016 Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE), 34,700 jobs in the Transportation and Storage sector were paid at or below the National Minimum Wage (NMW). However, it is not possible to further break down this figure for individual sectors within the transport industry.
The Government will publish new evidence to the Low Pay Commission containing ASHE 2017 estimates of jobs below minimum wage rates and enforcement statistics for 2017/18 later this year.
The Director has built strong relationships with a range of organisations since his office was established in January 2017. The Government is supportive of the work the Information Hub has taken to promote greater information sharing amongst stakeholders and increase its knowledge of labour exploitation in the UK labour market.
There have been no specific discussions at Cabinet-level on the contribution of regulatory bodies in the transport and offshore energy industries to the DLME’s Information Hub.
Asked by: Karl Turner (Labour - Kingston upon Hull East)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what discussions he has had with the Home Secretary on the effect on the Government's industrial strategy for the offshore wind industry of the employment of non-EEA crew on offshore wind construction and maintenance vessels in UK territorial waters; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Claire Perry
The Department has been working closely with the Home Office to develop a time-limited concession, outside of the Immigration Rules, requiring offshore wind construction and maintenance vessels in UK territorial waters to bring themselves into compliance with the rules on the employment of non-EEA crew on offshore wind construction and maintenance vessels in UK territorial waters.
Asked by: Karl Turner (Labour - Kingston upon Hull East)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will make it his policy to encourage an increased level of employment of domestic workers on offshore wind construction and maintenance vessels in UK territorial waters.
Answered by Claire Perry
Our policy has always been to maximise the economic and employment benefits to the UK from our support for offshore wind.
Asked by: Karl Turner (Labour - Kingston upon Hull East)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what plans he has to commission a feasibility study on an ultra-deep-water berth at a UK port.
Answered by Claire Perry
As I said at the Westminster Hall Debate on the UK oil and gas industry on 19 April, we will commission a UK-wide scoping study on an ultra-deep water port to support the decommissioning of offshore oil and gas assets. We will work closely with the Scottish Government which had already commissioned a UK-wide study to support its own commitment through its own Programme for Government. I have since discussed this issue in a meeting with Paul Wheelhouse MSP, and BEIS officials remain in contact with counterparts from the Scottish Government on their study. We expect to tender for a UK Government study in the near future and will ensure that we do not duplicate the work undertaken by the consultants working on behalf of the Scottish Government.
Asked by: Karl Turner (Labour - Kingston upon Hull East)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps the Government plans to take by 2023 to introduce a decarbonisation strategy for the shipping industry which complies with the (a) mandatory and (b) voluntary obligations in the Paris Agreement on climate change.
Answered by Claire Perry
The UK is fully committed to fulfilling our obligations to the Paris Agreement in all sectors. Our strategy for the shipping industry is led by the Department for Transport. The UK has been an active participant in negotiations on the development of an International Maritime Organisation strategy on the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. The initial strategy is due to be adopted in April 2018 and revised in 2023. UK priorities are that the strategy sets a level of ambition for the sector consistent with the temperature goals of the Paris Agreement on climate change. It should contain a range of short, mid- and long-term measures, some of which will be mandatory. The UK will continue to push for a credible and ambitious outcome in discussions at the International Maritime Organisation.
Asked by: Karl Turner (Labour - Kingston upon Hull East)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, when he plans to update his Department's guidance on National Minimum Wage Enforcement for seafarers.
Answered by Margot James
In collaboration with the Department for Transport and maritime stakeholders, we have been developing more detailed guidance on minimum wage law with respect to seafarers. Once this work has been completed, the guidance relating to seafarers will be published as part of a periodic update to the broader guidance on compliance with the National Minimum Wage.
Asked by: Karl Turner (Labour - Kingston upon Hull East)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether his Department or its predecessors have conducted an assessment of the effectiveness of training standards developed by the Global Wind Organisation for employees in the UK offshore wind industry.
Answered by Jesse Norman
The Department has not carried out an assessment of the training standards developed by the Global Wind Organisation. Training content and training standards are a matter for the industry, and companies need to ensure they comply with relevant health and safety legislation in the UK.