Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of immediate sick pay entitlement on small businesses.

Answered by Baroness Sherlock - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

The government conducted a Regulatory Impact Assessment (which can be found in the attached document) on the changes to strengthen Statutory Sick Pay in the Employment Rights Bill, which was published on 21 October 2024. This includes the impacts on small businesses. Furthermore, the government intends to conduct a post-implementation review of the Employment Rights Bill within five years of implementation.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to reduce the number of people leaving the labour market due to long-term sickness.

Answered by Baroness Sherlock - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

Good work is generally good for health and wellbeing, so we want everyone to get work and get on in work, whoever they are and wherever they live. Backed by £240 million investment, the Get Britain Working White Paper launched last November will drive forward approaches to tackling economic inactivity and work toward the long-term ambition of an 80% employment rate.

Disabled people and people with health conditions are a diverse group so access to the right work and health support, in the right place, at the right time, is key. We therefore have a range of specialist initiatives to support individuals to stay in work and get back into work, including those that join up employment and health systems.

Measures include support from Work Coaches and Disability Employment Advisers in Jobcentres and Access to Work grants, as well as joining up health and employment support around the individual through Employment Advisors in NHS Talking Therapies, Individual Placement and Support in Primary Care and WorkWell.

It is also recognised that employers play an important role in addressing health and disability. To build on this, the DWP and DHSC Joint Work & Health Directorate (JWHD) is facilitating “Keep Britain Working”, an independent review of the role of UK employers in reducing health-related inactivity and to promote healthy and inclusive workplaces. The lead reviewer, Sir Charlie Mayfield, is expected to bring forward recommendations in Autumn 2025.

In our March Green Paper, we set out our Pathways to Work Guarantee, backed by £1 billion a year of new additional funding by 2030. We will build towards a guaranteed offer of personalised work, health and skills support for all disabled people and those with health conditions on out of work benefits.

The 10 Year Health Plan, published in July, stated our intention to break down barriers to opportunity by delivering the holistic support that people need to access and thrive in employment by ensuring a better health service for everyone, regardless of condition or service area. The Plan sets out the vision for what good joined-up care looks like for people with a combination of health and care needs, including for disabled people. Furthermore, it outlines how the neighbourhood health service will join up support from across the work, health and skills systems to help address the multiple complex challenges that often stop people finding and staying in work.

Question

To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to publish statutory guidance that defines what constitutes "all reasonable steps" for the purposes of clause 21 of the Employment Rights Bill; and if so, when.

Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

The Government will ensure businesses have clear guidance on clause 21 (harassment by third parties) of the Employment Rights Bill in advance of the new legislation coming into force in October 2026.

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