Asked by: Ellie Reeves (Labour - Lewisham West and Penge)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether people in (a) prison and (b) secure hospitals are eligible to receive money from the energy bill support scheme.
Answered by Graham Stuart - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Energy Bills Support Scheme (EBSS) is delivering a £400 non-repayable discount to households with a domestic electricity meter. EBSS Alternative Funding will provide equivalent support of £400 for energy bills for the small minority of households who will not be reached through the EBSS.
Asked by: Ellie Reeves (Labour - Lewisham West and Penge)
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 Cabinet colleagues on the potential revocation of EU workers’ rights regulations.
Answered by Dean Russell
The UK has one of the best workers’ rights records in the world. Our high standards were never dependent on our membership of the EU and this Government has raised domestic standards in recent years, while also retaining important flexibilities for employers which benefit the economy and wider labour market.
Asked by: Ellie Reeves (Labour - Lewisham West and Penge)
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 the Answer of 9 February 2021 to Question 146798 on Paternity Leave, what estimate his Department has made of the number of eligible fathers who took unpaid statutory shared parental leave in 2019-20.
Answered by Paul Scully
The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy does not routinely collect data on the take-up of parental leave entitlements, including unpaid Shared Parental Leave. However, we are currently completing an extensive evaluation of the Shared Parental Leave and Pay schemes. This has included commissioning and interrogating information collected through large scale, representative, surveys of employers and parents. We also commissioned a qualitative study of parents who have used the schemes. The various data sources will give us a fuller picture of the level of take-up of paid and unpaid entitlements to Shared Parental Leave, tell us how the schemes are being used in practice, and help us to better understand the barriers and enablers to parents taking Shared Parental Leave. We will publish our findings later this year.
Asked by: Ellie Reeves (Labour - Lewisham West and Penge)
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 the Answer of 9 February 2021 to Question 146798 on Paternity Leave, how many of the people who received statutory shared parental pay in 2019-20 were in receipt of that pay for more than (a) one month, (b) three months, (c) six months and (d) nine months.
Answered by Paul Scully
Shared Parental Leave (SPL) and Pay was introduced in December 2014 for the parents of children due or adopted from 5 April 2015. The scheme enables eligible working parents to share up to 50 weeks of leave and up to 37 weeks of pay in the first year, where the mother does not intend to use her full maternity entitlements.
Information provided by employers to HMRC in respect of claims for Statutory Shared Parental Pay (ShPP) indicates that 4,100 individuals were in receipt of ShPP in Quarter 3 of 2020-21, and 3,300 individuals were in receipt of ShPP in Quarter 4 of 2020-21.
Please note that HMRC does not hold information which calculates the total duration of ShPP received by individual claimants. However, the following table sets out the number of individuals in receipt of ShPP in 2019-20 by the number of months in the year that they made a claim:
Number of months claimed in 2019-20 (see note 4) | Number of claimants |
1 | 4,400 |
2 | 3,100 |
3 | 2,300 |
4 | 1,500 |
5 | 800 |
6 | 500 |
7 | 300 |
8 | 100 |
9 | 100 |
Please note:
Asked by: Ellie Reeves (Labour - Lewisham West and Penge)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, further to the Answer of 9 February 2021 to Question 146798 on Paternity Leave, how many people received statutory shared parental pay in (a) Quarter 3 and (b) Quarter 4 of 2020-21.
Answered by Paul Scully
Shared Parental Leave (SPL) and Pay was introduced in December 2014 for the parents of children due or adopted from 5 April 2015. The scheme enables eligible working parents to share up to 50 weeks of leave and up to 37 weeks of pay in the first year, where the mother does not intend to use her full maternity entitlements.
Information provided by employers to HMRC in respect of claims for Statutory Shared Parental Pay (ShPP) indicates that 4,100 individuals were in receipt of ShPP in Quarter 3 of 2020-21, and 3,300 individuals were in receipt of ShPP in Quarter 4 (January and February only) of 2020-21.
Please note that HMRC does not hold information which calculates the total duration of ShPP received by individual claimants. However, the following table sets out the number of individuals in receipt of ShPP in 2019-20 by the number of months in the year that they made a claim:
Number of months claimed in 2019-20 (see note 4) | Number of claimants |
1 | 4,400 |
2 | 3,100 |
3 | 2,300 |
4 | 1,500 |
5 | 800 |
6 | 500 |
7 | 300 |
8 | 100 |
9 | 100 |
Please note:
Asked by: Ellie Reeves (Labour - Lewisham West and Penge)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps he is taking to monitor compliance with his 11 May 2020 guidance to employers on not acting in ways that may discriminate against people with caring responsibilities.
Answered by Paul Scully
The guidance is non-statutory but does not change existing obligations relating to health and safety, employment, or equalities. Employers, therefore, need to bear in mind the particular needs of different groups or individuals, and make sure that the steps they take to address the risk of COVID-19 do not unjustifiably impact on some groups compared with others. Some workers, whether through specific vulnerability, family caring responsibilities or an abundance of caution may be reluctant to re-enter a workplace even though the employer feels it is safe to do so. The Government would encourage employers to engage constructively with such workers and their representatives and try to find solutions that are agreeable to all.
If anyone has concerns that employers are not taking all reasonably practicable steps to reduce the risks of COVID-19, they should get in touch with their employee representative or union, or with the Health and Safety Executive. Health and safety legislation is enforced by the Health and Safety Executive, the Health and Safety Executive for Northern Ireland and by local authorities. We have been clear that there will be Health and Safety Executive spot checks on businesses to ensure they keep their employees safe. If the enforcing authority finds that an employer is not taking action to properly manage workplace risk, a range of actions are is open to them including specific advice or issuing enforcement notices.
Asked by: Ellie Reeves (Labour - Lewisham West and Penge)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps he is taking to enforce compliance with his 11 May 2020 guidance to employers on not discriminating against people with caring responsibilities.
Answered by Paul Scully
The guidance is non-statutory but does not change existing obligations relating to health and safety, employment, or equalities. Employers, therefore, need to bear in mind the particular needs of different groups or individuals, and make sure that the steps they take to address the risk of COVID-19 do not unjustifiably impact on some groups compared with others. Some workers, whether through specific vulnerability, family caring responsibilities or an abundance of caution may be reluctant to re-enter a workplace even though the employer feels it is safe to do so. The Government would encourage employers to engage constructively with such workers and their representatives and try to find solutions that are agreeable to all.
If anyone has concerns that employers are not taking all reasonably practicable steps to reduce the risks of COVID-19, they should get in touch with their employee representative or union, or with the Health and Safety Executive. Health and safety legislation is enforced by the Health and Safety Executive, the Health and Safety Executive for Northern Ireland and by local authorities. We have been clear that there will be Health and Safety Executive spot checks on businesses to ensure they keep their employees safe. If the enforcing authority finds that an employer is not taking action to properly manage workplace risk, a range of actions are is open to them including specific advice or issuing enforcement notices.
Asked by: Ellie Reeves (Labour - Lewisham West and Penge)
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 plans to publish its evaluation of the right to request flexible working.
Answered by Kelly Tolhurst
We have started the data collection for the evaluation of both the Shared Parental Leave (and Pay) and the extension of the Right to Request Flexible Working policies. We anticipate being in a position to report on the Shared Parental Leave evaluation in 2019 and the Right to Request Flexible Working in 2020.
The Government has set out the largest upgrade to workers’ rights in a generation. Helping people to balance their work and home lives is vital in creating an inclusive economy where those with caring responsibilities can continue working. That is why in October we announced that we would consult on creating a duty for employers to consider whether a job can be done flexibly, and make that clear when advertising. We also announced that we would consult on requiring employers with more than 250 staff to publish their parental leave and pay policies, so job applicants can make informed decisions about whether they can combine the role with caring for their family.
Asked by: Ellie Reeves (Labour - Lewisham West and Penge)
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 plans to publish its evaluation of shared parental leave.
Answered by Kelly Tolhurst
We have started the data collection for the evaluation of both the Shared Parental Leave (and Pay) and the extension of the Right to Request Flexible Working policies. We anticipate being in a position to report on the Shared Parental Leave evaluation in 2019 and the Right to Request Flexible Working in 2020.
The Government has set out the largest upgrade to workers’ rights in a generation. Helping people to balance their work and home lives is vital in creating an inclusive economy where those with caring responsibilities can continue working. That is why in October we announced that we would consult on creating a duty for employers to consider whether a job can be done flexibly, and make that clear when advertising. We also announced that we would consult on requiring employers with more than 250 staff to publish their parental leave and pay policies, so job applicants can make informed decisions about whether they can combine the role with caring for their family.
Asked by: Ellie Reeves (Labour - Lewisham West and Penge)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the effect on post office (a) staff employment terms and conditions, (b) service times, (c) counter numbers, (d) disabled access and (e) customer service issues generally of franchising.
Answered by Kelly Tolhurst
The Government recognises the critical role that post offices play in communities and for small businesses across the UK. This is why the Government committed to safeguard the post office network and protect existing rural services. The overall number of post offices across the UK remains at its most stable in decades with over 11,500 branches thanks to significant Government investment of over £2 billion since 2010.
While the Government sets the strategic direction for the Post Office, it allows the company the commercial freedom to deliver this strategy as an independent business. Franchising is an operational matter for the Post Office. I have therefore asked Paula Vennells, the Group Chief Executive of Post Office Limited, to write to the hon Member on this matter. A copy of her reply will be placed in the Libraries of the House.