Asked by: Lord Field of Birkenhead (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, how many (a) direct employees, (b) agency staff and (c) outsourced staff working for (i) her Department and (ii) agencies of her Department are paid less than the living wage, as defined by the Living Wage Foundation.
Answered by Shailesh Vara
No direct employees, agency staff or outsourced staff working for the Department are paid less than the living wage as defined by the Living Wage Foundation.
Asked by: Lord Field of Birkenhead (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, whether her Department has a carer's policy for its employees; and what other steps her Department has taken to support employees with caring responsibilities.
Answered by Shailesh Vara
The Northern Ireland Office has a range of support in place for carers through the Ministry of Justice, whose terms and conditions we follow, including dedicated Parent and Carer Support guidance outlining the support that is available. This includes a carer’s information pack and information about flexible working.
The Charity for Civil Servants also provides guidance and support to carers and we encourage the use of their Carer’s Passport, which is designed to help working civil servants balance their caring responsibilities more effectively with their work commitments.
Asked by: Lord Field of Birkenhead (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what his Department's estimate is of the amount of EU legislation and regulation that can be incorporated into UK law without amendment.
Answered by Chloe Smith
The European Union (Withdrawal) Bill will convert European Union law into UK law as it applies in the UK at the moment of exit. This will ensure that, wherever possible, the same rules and laws will apply the day after exit as they did before.
The Government is still making a detailed assessment of what corrections will be required to make that law function appropriately on exit day. The Department for Exiting the European Union are working closely with departments across Government to ensure we make the changes required to deliver a functioning statute book on exit in the most efficient manner possible.
Asked by: Lord Field of Birkenhead (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, how many people working for his Department on a (a) directly employed, (b) agency or (c) outsourced basis are paid less than the living wage as defined by the Living Wage Foundation; and how many of those people are employed on zero-hours contracts.
Answered by James Brokenshire
My Department does not directly employ any members of staff on an hourly rate below that set by the Living Wage Foundation.
My Department currently employs 1 person on an agency basis. This person is not paid less than the living wage as defined by the Living Wage Foundation for employees in this region.
In my Department there are 8 staff that are outsourced, 7 are paid less than the hourly Living Wage set by the Living Wage Foundation for employees in this region, but are paid above the minimum wage.
Of these none are employed on zero hours contracts.
Asked by: Lord Field of Birkenhead (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, how many (a) direct employees, (b) agency staff and (c) outsourced staff working for her Department are paid less than the living wage.
Answered by Theresa Villiers
My Department does not directly employ any members of staff on an hourly rate below that set by the Living Wage Foundation.
In my Department’s Belfast office, there are 12 staff working for companies contracted by the Department. Of these staff, 11 are paid less than the hourly Living Wage set by the Living Wage Foundation for employees outside London, but are paid above the minimum wage.
My Department’s London office does not have any direct contracts with companies. All staff such as cleaners are provided by the building management company with whom we have a lease and arrangement to provide such services.