Jo Swinson Portrait

Jo Swinson

Liberal Democrat - Former Member for East Dunbartonshire

First elected: 8th June 2017

Left House: 6th November 2019 (Defeated)


Jo Swinson is not a member of any APPGs
5 Former APPG memberships
Allergy, Body Image, EU Relations, Loneliness, Textiles and Fashion
Leader of the Liberal Democrats
22nd Jul 2019 - 13th Dec 2019
Liberal Democrat Spokesperson (Foreign Affairs)
16th Jun 2017 - 21st Aug 2019
Deputy Leader, Liberal Democrats
20th Jun 2017 - 22nd Jul 2019
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Business, Innovation and Skills) (Employment Relations, Consumer and Postal Affairs)
30th Jun 2014 - 8th May 2015
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Women and Equalities)
30th Jun 2014 - 8th May 2015
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Business, Innovation and Skills) (Employment Relations, Consumer and Postal Affairs)
6th Sep 2012 - 20th Dec 2013
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Culture, Media and Sport) (Women and Equalities) (jointly with the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills)
6th Sep 2012 - 20th Dec 2013
Liberal Democrat Spokesperson (Foreign Affairs)
1st Jul 2008 - 6th May 2010
Environmental Audit Committee
12th Jul 2007 - 6th May 2010
Liberal Democrat Spokesperson (Scotland)
10th Mar 2006 - 20th Dec 2007
Liberal Democrat Spokesperson (Women and Equality)
1st Mar 2007 - 1st Oct 2007
Liberal Democrat Whip
10th May 2005 - 10th Mar 2006
Liberal Democrat Spokesperson (Culture, Media and Sport)
10th May 2005 - 10th Mar 2006


Division Voting information

Jo Swinson has voted in 1772 divisions, and 8 times against the majority of their Party.

18 Nov 2014 - Small Business, Enterprise and Employment Bill - View Vote Context
Jo Swinson voted No - against a party majority and against the House
One of 23 Liberal Democrat No votes vs 24 Liberal Democrat Aye votes
Tally: Ayes - 284 Noes - 269
1 Apr 2009 - Nick Cousins - View Vote Context
Jo Swinson voted No - against a party majority and against the House
One of 10 Liberal Democrat No votes vs 36 Liberal Democrat Aye votes
Tally: Ayes - 304 Noes - 103
2 Mar 2009 - Political Parties and Elections Bill - View Vote Context
Jo Swinson voted Aye - against a party majority and in line with the House
One of 7 Liberal Democrat Aye votes vs 46 Liberal Democrat No votes
Tally: Ayes - 235 Noes - 176
2 Mar 2009 - Political Parties and Elections Bill - View Vote Context
Jo Swinson voted Aye - against a party majority and in line with the House
One of 6 Liberal Democrat Aye votes vs 48 Liberal Democrat No votes
Tally: Ayes - 223 Noes - 158
2 Mar 2009 - Political Parties and Elections Bill - View Vote Context
Jo Swinson voted Aye - against a party majority and in line with the House
One of 6 Liberal Democrat Aye votes vs 49 Liberal Democrat No votes
Tally: Ayes - 213 Noes - 153
22 Oct 2008 - Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill [Lords] - View Vote Context
Jo Swinson voted Aye - against a party majority and against the House
One of 23 Liberal Democrat Aye votes vs 25 Liberal Democrat No votes
Tally: Ayes - 206 Noes - 298
19 May 2008 - Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill [Lords] - View Vote Context
Jo Swinson voted Aye - against a party majority and against the House
One of 26 Liberal Democrat Aye votes vs 29 Liberal Democrat No votes
Tally: Ayes - 223 Noes - 286
19 May 2008 - Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill [Lords] - View Vote Context
Jo Swinson voted Aye - against a party majority and against the House
One of 22 Liberal Democrat Aye votes vs 32 Liberal Democrat No votes
Tally: Ayes - 200 Noes - 293
View All Jo Swinson Division Votes

All Debates

Speeches made during Parliamentary debates are recorded in Hansard. For ease of browsing we have grouped debates into individual, departmental and legislative categories.

Sparring Partners
John Bercow (Speaker)
(53 debate interactions)
Boris Johnson (Conservative)
(33 debate interactions)
Ian Murray (Labour)
Shadow Secretary of State for Scotland
(27 debate interactions)
View All Sparring Partners
Department Debates
Department for Education
(409 debate contributions)
Cabinet Office
(103 debate contributions)
Leader of the House
(90 debate contributions)
View All Department Debates
View all Jo Swinson's debates

East Dunbartonshire Petitions

e-Petitions are administered by Parliament and allow members of the public to express support for a particular issue.

If an e-petition reaches 10,000 signatures the Government will issue a written response.

If an e-petition reaches 100,000 signatures the petition becomes eligible for a Parliamentary debate (usually Monday 4.30pm in Westminster Hall).

Petition Debates Contributed

The Brexit process has been a failure. At the end of two years, our ruling party is bitterly divided, the main opposition not a viable replacement for it, and the deal we have negotiated is almost universally opposed.
No one voted for this to happen.

The government repeatedly claims exiting the EU is 'the will of the people'. We need to put a stop to this claim by proving the strength of public support now, for remaining in the EU. A People's Vote may not happen - so vote now.

The UK voted in a referendum in 2016 to Leave the EU....this wasn't dependent on a " deal" ....but rather just "Leave"
we are now demanding that all mp's honour this result .conservative and labour mp's also agreed to leave on 29/03/19...... deal or no deal as part of their gen election campaign


Latest EDMs signed by Jo Swinson

28th October 2019
Jo Swinson signed this EDM as a sponsor on Monday 28th October 2019

People's Vote

Tabled by: Jo Swinson (Liberal Democrat - East Dunbartonshire)
That this House calls on the Government to bring forward legislation to hold a People’s Vote on whether the United Kingdom should remain a member of the European Union or should leave the European Union on the final terms agreed between the Government and the European Union.
25 signatures
(Most recent: 5 Nov 2019)
Signatures by party:
Liberal Democrat: 19
Labour: 4
Plaid Cymru: 1
Independent: 1
15th October 2019
Jo Swinson signed this EDM as a sponsor on Tuesday 15th October 2019

Barclays's withdrawal from the banking framework with Post Office Ltd

Tabled by: Ed Davey (Liberal Democrat - Kingston and Surbiton)
That this House expresses alarm on learning that Barclays bank has decided to withdraw from a key element of the banking framework agreement with Post Office Ltd, which allows personal and business customers to access their bank accounts via 11,500 post office locations across the UK; notes that the banking …
32 signatures
(Most recent: 24 Oct 2019)
Signatures by party:
Liberal Democrat: 17
Labour: 8
Democratic Unionist Party: 2
Plaid Cymru: 2
Independent: 1
Conservative: 1
Scottish National Party: 1
View All Jo Swinson's signed Early Day Motions

Commons initiatives

These initiatives were driven by Jo Swinson, and are more likely to reflect personal policy preferences.

MPs who are act as Ministers or Shadow Ministers are generally restricted from performing Commons initiatives other than Urgent Questions.


1 Urgent Question tabled by Jo Swinson

Monday 17th June 2019

2 Adjournment Debates led by Jo Swinson

Monday 3rd June 2013
Wednesday 27th February 2013

3 Bills introduced by Jo Swinson


The Bill failed to complete its passage through Parliament before the end of the session. This means the Bill will make no further progress. A Bill to entitle employees to request shared parental leave and flexible working on the first day of employment; to make provision for self-employed persons to take shared parental leave; and for connected purposes.

Commons - 40%

Last Event - 1st Reading: House Of Commons
Wednesday 3rd April 2019

The Bill failed to complete its passage through Parliament before the end of the session. This means the Bill will make no further progress. A Bill to require employers with more than 250 employees to publish information about parental leave, and pay in the course of such leave; and for connected purposes.

Commons - 20%

Last Event - 1st Reading: House Of Commons
Wednesday 6th June 2018

A Bill to amend the Price Marking Order 2004 to simplify, consolidate and improve price marking legislation; and for connected purposes.

Commons - 20%

Last Event - 1st Reading: House Of Commons
Wednesday 20th June 2012

Latest 50 Written Questions

(View all written questions)
Written Questions can be tabled by MPs and Lords to request specific information information on the work, policy and activities of a Government Department
4 Other Department Questions
6th Nov 2018
To ask the right hon. Member for Carshalton and Wallington, representing the House of Commons Commission, what provision is made on the Parliamentary estate to (a) provide private spaces for expressing milk or feeding and (b) otherwise support breastfeeding mothers on their return to work.

The House of Commons provides private spaces for expressing milk or feeding in two publicly accessible areas in the Palace of Westminster. The baby care room is located on the Upper Committee Corridor and the Health and Wellbeing space is off the Lower Waiting Hall; the Lower Waiting Hall space is available with agreement from the practice nurse if it is not being used for a medical emergency.

In addition, Commons passholders may access the first aid rooms for expressing milk or feeding by contacting the reception teams in the following buildings:

• Portcullis House

• 1 Parliament Street

• Richmond House

• Norman Shaw South

Tothill Street has a baby care room on the 5th floor.

For House of Commons and Parliamentary Digital Service staff, line managers are expected to regularly monitor the working arrangements of an expectant mother or new parent both throughout pregnancy and if the member of staff returns to work within six months after the birth or while feeding.

Parents of young children returning to work may make a request for flexible working on either a temporary or permanent basis. Examples of flexible working include part-time working and working from home.

The Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) can provide practical advice and guidance as well as counselling and support on a broad range of issues including family issues and childcare support. From 1 November employees of the House of Commons, PDS and House of Lords, have been able to access this service alongside Members of both Houses and their staff.

Further support to families is also available via "My Family Care" which provides a range of practical tools and resources to support parents. The House also provides a workplace nursery and users of the House of Commons nursery also have access to the expressing and feeding facilities in the nursery based in 1 Parliament Street.

23rd Apr 2018
To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, when the Government plans to publish its response to the recommendations made by the Equality and Human Rights Commission in its report entitled Turning the Tables: Ending Sexual Harassment at Work, published in March 2018.

The Equality and Human Rights Commission is an independent public authority and Government does not routinely respond to its reports. However, we welcome the work it has done on sexual harassment in its March 2018 report as a contribution to the current inquiry into sexual harassment in the workplace by the Women and Equalities Select Committee.

Victoria Atkins
Secretary of State for Health and Social Care
20th Feb 2018
To ask the right hon. Member for Carshalton and Wallington, representing the House of Commons Commission, for what reasons the House authorities decided not to choose the Southmead Project Wall of Silence exhibition to be displayed in Parliament.

Exhibitions in Parliament’s Upper Waiting Hall offer an opportunity for a variety of topics to be explored in a balanced and non-contentious way. Exhibits must therefore meet the following criteria, that:

“their content should not be of a contentious nature, contain items of advertising, commercial interest or material likely to give offence; nor should they contain material intended to further the aims of any political party or group.”

Since being first approved, concerns have been raised in relation to the ‘Wall of Silence’ exhibition, which was due to be displayed in April 2018 in the Upper Waiting Hall. For this reason the Administration Committee decided, on 29 January 2018, to withdraw support for the exhibition because it did not meet the criterion of being uncontentious.

8th Jan 2018
To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, if she will include in the information published on the Government's gender pay gap portal a total headcount column for each company.

We will launch an updated gender pay gap viewing service in April 2018 that will allow employers to benchmark themselves against similar organisations. This will include information on the size of organisations.

Victoria Atkins
Secretary of State for Health and Social Care
18th Apr 2019
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what processes his Department has put in place to (a) track and (b) manage Government policy announcements and associated deadlines.

Government makes collective decisions on policy via Cabinet and Cabinet Sub-Committees.

Single Departmental Plans (SDPs) are central to how the government plans and tracks its performance. Updated annually, the plans reflect changes in the Government’s priorities, including new policy announcements. SDPs are agreed by Cabinet Office and HM Treasury Ministers. Departments report regularly to Cabinet Office on their progress in delivering their SDPs.

Ministerial Implementation Task Forces (ITFs) also meet regularly to monitor delivery and to discuss milestones. Details of the ITFs and their membership are available at: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/795150/20190411-CabinetCommitteesAndImplementationTaskforces.pdf

Oliver Dowden
Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster
27th Mar 2019
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many (a) men and (b) women have died from anaphylaxis in each of the last ten years.

The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.

11th Mar 2019
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many (a) men and (b) women have died from anaphylaxis in each of the last five years.

The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.

29th Oct 2018
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what assessment he has made of the efficacy of the human rights due diligence of the businesses that his Department's Prosperity Fund supports.

Promotion of human rights remains a fundamental objective of UK foreign policy, and we remain committed to universal human rights – it is the right thing to do. The Prosperity Fund is committed to ensuring that safeguarding and modern slavery considerations are consistent with wider ODA policy and practice across government led by DFID. A Prosperity Fund Commercial Framework, managed by the FCO, has recently been put in place to support the commercial delivery of major Prosperity Fund programmes. This incorporates a supplier code of conduct covering areas such as safeguarding, social responsibility, human rights and ethical behaviour. In addition, implementing departments are actively working to align due diligence processes to ensure adequate assessment of potential partners’ ability to apply safeguards in their work, in particular to safeguard children and vulnerable adults from sexual exploitation and abuse.

29th Oct 2018
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps he is taking to ensure that businesses supported by his Department's Prosperity Fund undertake adequate human rights due diligence.

Promotion of human rights remains a fundamental objective of UK foreign policy, and we remain committed to universal human rights – it is the right thing to do. The Prosperity Fund is committed to ensuring that safeguarding and modern slavery considerations are consistent with wider ODA policy and practice across government led by DFID. A Prosperity Fund Commercial Framework, managed by the FCO, has recently been put in place to support the commercial delivery of major Prosperity Fund programmes. This incorporates a supplier code of conduct covering areas such as safeguarding, social responsibility, human rights and ethical behaviour. In addition, implementing departments are actively working to align due diligence processes to ensure adequate assessment of potential partners’ ability to apply safeguards in their work, in particular to safeguard children and vulnerable adults from sexual exploitation and abuse.

2nd May 2018
To ask the Prime Minister, pursuant to the Answer of 27 April 2018 to Question 137505, what information Prime Minister Modi provided on Jagtar Singh Johal's case and treatment.

When meeting with Prime Minister Modi on 18 April, I raised our requirement for continued consular access to Mr Johal and questions over his treatment in custody.

24th Apr 2018
To ask the Prime Minister, pursuant to the Answer of 19 April 2018 to Question 135934, for what reason she did not raise the case of Jagtar Singh Johal during her bilateral meeting with Narendra Modi at the recent Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting.

I did raise Mr Johal’s case with Prime Minister Modi during our bilateral on the 18 April, including concerns about his treatment.

16th Apr 2018
To ask the Prime Minister, whether she plans to discuss the case of Jagtar Singh Johal during her bilateral meeting with Narendra Modi, at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting.

I refer the hon. Member to the press release issued on 18 April following my meeting with Prime Minister Modi and which is available on the gov.uk website: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/pm-meeting-with-prime-minister-of-india-18-april-2018

28th Mar 2019
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to the Answer of 26 April 2018 to Question 137053 on parental leave, when the three-yearly review on the implementation of shared parental leave will be published.

The evaluation is ongoing and we are collecting data from a wide variety of sources, including the largest survey of parents to be undertaken in 10 years.

We expect to be in a position to publish the findings of the evaluation later this year, subject to the data collection process. This is slightly later than we originally expected but it is important to get this right.

5th Dec 2018
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, with reference to the Independent Commission for Aid report, Global Challenges Research Fund - a rapid review, published in September 2017, what progress his Department has made on delivering recommendation 3 of that report.

BEIS accepted recommendation 3 of the Independent Commission for Aid Impact’s (ICAI) report and is taking action accordingly to enhance assessment of the performance of the Global Challenges Research Fund (GCRF).

We have commissioned an evaluation of the GCRF by the independent contractor ITAD, the first stage of which established a clear Theory of Change. ITAD is now refining a further comprehensive evaluation methodology for the fund.

Work is also being undertaken to provide assurance on value for money and to develop Key Performance Indicators to enable monitoring of project and portfolio outcomes.

BEIS is actively engaged with ICAI in their follow up to the review.

5th Dec 2018
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what proportion of his Department's ODA-funded projects are listed on the Department for International Development's Development Tracker website.

BEIS is committed to meeting the Government’s target for transparency and to score ‘good’ or ‘very good’ on the Publish What You Fund aid transparency index.

29 of the Department’s 30 International Climate Finance programmes are listed on the Development Tracker website. This represents 96% of the Department’s International Climate Finance programmes, covering 99% of BEIS International Climate Finance expenditure from 2010/11 to the end of 2017/18.

At present BEIS does not publish detail of its research and innovation (R&I) spend on the Development Tracker website. However, much of the detail is published on the Gateway to Research website, which is run by UK Research and Innovation. BEIS is currently implementing a technical solution to be able to fully publish details of its R&I expenditure to the International Aid Transparency Index, which can be automatically accessed by the Development Tracker.

6th Nov 2018
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, with reference to the Government response entitled Good work: a response to the Taylor Review of modern working practices, published on 7 February 2018, what steps he is taking to promote quality work through sector deals.

Developing better jobs for everyone in the British economy is at the heart of our modern Industrial Strategy. We are proud to be the first Government to have taken responsibility for both quality and quantity of work, and are working to promote good work across the UK. We will be setting out our next steps for measuring and improving the quality of work in due course.

6th Nov 2018
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, with reference to the Government response entitled Good work: a response to the Taylor Review of modern working practices, published on 7 February 2018, when the first assessment of the quality of work in the UK is planned to be published.

Developing better jobs for everyone in the British economy is at the heart of our modern Industrial Strategy. We are proud to be the first Government to have taken responsibility for both quality and quantity of work, and are working to promote good work across the UK. We will be setting out our next steps for measuring and improving the quality of work in due course.

5th Nov 2018
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, when the Low Pay Commission will publish the response to its consultation on (a) the effect of a higher minimum wage for non-guaranteed hours in a contract and (b) alternative means for tackling one sided flexibility.

The Low Pay Commission’s consultation, on the effect of a higher minimum wage for non-guaranteed hours in a contract and alternative means for tackling one-sided flexibility, launched in March.

The Low Pay Commission will publish their report, containing the findings from this consultation, in due course.

5th Nov 2018
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what progress he has made on consolidating guidance on legislation to protect people who are pregnant or on maternity leave as recommended by the Taylor review of modern working practices.

Last year, Acas published new comprehensive guidance on pregnancy and maternity discrimination and workplace rights and obligations.

This summer we have reviewed the GOV.UK guidance material on the protections for people who are pregnant or on maternity leave and we are now updating and improving signposting.

31st Oct 2018
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what progress has been made on identifying a set of metrics to measure the quality of work as recommended by the Matthew Taylor Review of Modern Working Practices.

The Government has received over 400 detailed responses to the four consultations launched in February. We are very grateful to everyone who took the time to respond. Their insights have been invaluable in informing our policy development. We will be publishing our response to these consultations in due course.

31st Oct 2018
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, when his Department plans to respond to its consultations on (a) employment status, (b) increasing transparency in the labour market, (c) agency workers recommendations and (d) enforcement of employment rights.

The Government has received over 400 detailed responses to the four consultations launched in February. We are very grateful to everyone who took the time to respond. Their insights have been invaluable in informing our policy development. We will be publishing our response to these consultations in due course.

31st Oct 2018
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many staff were employed by the Employment Agency Standards Inspectorate in (a) 2015, (b) 2016, (c) 2017 and (d) 2018.

The following information is based on the resourcing of the Employment Agency Standards Inspectorate (EAS) for the 31st March in each year:

2015 – 5

2016 – 11

2017 – 11

2018 – 12

The Department continues to review the resourcing needs both in the short term and in the context of wider, longer term reforms including the Taylor Review of Modern Working Practices and the strategy of the Director of Labour Market Enforcement.

31st Oct 2018
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, with reference to pages 62 to 65 of the February 2018 of the Government response to the Taylor Review of Modern Working Practices, what steps the Government has taken to improve support for self-employed people.

The Government has received over 400 detailed responses to the four consultations launched in February. We are very grateful to everyone who took the time to respond. Their insights have been invaluable in informing our policy development. We will be publishing our response to these consultations in due course.

16th Oct 2018
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, which projects on business and human rights his Department has funded in each of the last five years; and what the total spend of each such project was in each of those years.

The UK’s National Action Plan to implement the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights sets out a rolling programme of actions requiring both legislative and non-legislative approaches. The Department has funded one project in the last five years. The Department matched funding from the Dutch Government toward the development of the Corporate Human Rights Benchmark, a private sector-led initiative that ranks some of the world’s largest companies by their human rights policies, processes, and practices. The total spend on this project from UK Government was £60,000 in 2014/15 and £20,000 in 2015/16.

15th Oct 2018
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, when he has plans to publish a summary table on www.gov.uk, with periodic updates, on progress made on (a) the National Action Plan on Business and Human Rights and (b) additional policy commitments made by his Department on that plan.

The Department, working together with the Foreign & Commonwealth Office and other departments, aims to publish in due course a summary of the actions and progress within the Government’s National Action Plan on Business and Human Rights. Our focus is on implementing the Plan as it stands and there is no intention to review it before 2020. Any future development of the Plan must be informed by wide consultations and the Government welcomes discussions with business and civil society organisations about our approach and the delivery of commitments under the Plan.

8th Oct 2018
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, when he plans to publish the consultation document on the potential requirement for employers with more than 250 staff to publish parental leave and pay policies.

We will consult in due course.

11th Jun 2018
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to the Answer of 29 July 2018 to Question 137053 on Parental Leave, whether the Government has now commissioned the survey data referred to; and whether the review will consider the eligibility criteria for shared parental leave for people in (a) new employment and (b) self-employment.

We have started the evaluation of the Shared Parental Leave and Pay schemes and expect to be in a position to publish the findings of the evaluation in the Spring of 2019.

The evaluation will consider the barriers to parents taking Shared Parental Leave and Pay and how the schemes are being used in practice - including by self-employed mothers who qualify for Maternity Allowance. Whilst we are not planning to review the eligibility criteria at the current time, as part of the evaluation we will be speaking to range of stakeholders, including groups who are lobbying Government to extend parental entitlements to the self-employed.

23rd Apr 2018
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what the timetable is for commencing and concluding the planned three-yearly review of the implementation of shared parental leave.

We have started the evaluation of the Shared Parental Leave and Pay schemes. We will gather and analyse information from a variety of sources, including survey data which the Government will commission.

Subject to the progress of data collection, we anticipate publishing findings in Spring 2019.

5th Mar 2018
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to the Answer of 20 February 2018 to Question 127413 on Minimum Wage: Arrears, how many of the 169 employers instructed to self-correct further arrears in naming rounds 10 to 13 self-corrected a sum of arrears greater than the sum of arrears for which they were named and shamed.

Of the 169 employers instructed to self-correct further arrears in naming rounds 10 to 13, 96 employers identified a sum of self-corrected arrears greater than the sum of arrears for which they were named.

As part of a formal HMRC investigation where arrears have been identified, enforcement officers have the ability to instruct an employer to conduct a self-review across the remainder of their payroll. An employer will be required to correct any further underpayments found; and the review is assured by HMRC officers before being finalised. Self-correction is used to maximise the impact of enforcement activity, and frees up HMRC officers to start work on additional investigations.

7th Feb 2018
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to the Answer of 23 January 2018 to Question 123622, how many of the 169 employers who were instructed to self-correct further arrears in naming rounds 10-13 owed arrears, including those for which they were named and shamed of more than (a) £25,000, (b) £50,000; (c) £100,000; and (d) £250,000.

Of the 169 employers who were instructed to self-correct further arrears in naming rounds 10-13:

  • 13 employers owed total arrears of between £25,000 and £49,999
  • 8 employers owed total arrears of between £50,000 and £99,999
  • 5 employers owed total arrears of between £100,000 and £249,999
  • 5 employers owed total arrears of more than £250,000.
30th Jan 2018
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, when he plans to publish the regulations to implement the Government's policy of requiring listed companies to publish pay ratios; and whether those regulations are planned to be in force by June 2018.

The Government is committed to introducing a new statutory reporting requirement to require quoted companies to disclose and explain the ratio of the Chief Executive Officer’s total annual remuneration to the average annual remuneration of the company’s UK employees. The regulations to implement this provision (along with the other new reporting provisions being introduced as part of the corporate governance reforms announced in August 2017) are being drafted and will be laid in draft in Parliament later this year subject to other Parliamentary business.

18th Jan 2018
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to the Answer of 11 January 2018 to Question 121446, how many of the 169 employers owed arrears, including those for which they were named and shamed, to (a) more than 250 workers and (b) more than 500 workers.

Of the 169 employers who were instructed to self-correct further arrears in naming rounds 10-13:

  • 17 employers owed arrears to more than 250 workers, of which 12 employers owed arrears to more than 500 workers.

This breakdown represents the arrears owed by a business to its workers, not the employer size.

8th Jan 2018
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to the Answers of 16 November 2016, 3 March 2017, 12 September 2017 and 18 December 2017 to Questions 52385, 65376, 7533 and 118376, on Minimum Wage: Arrears, if he will publish the (a) sector and (b) size of the 169 employers who paid additional arrears, not included in the sum of arrears for which they were named and shamed, under the self-correction mechanism introduced by HM Revenue and Customs in 2015.

A total of 169 employers were instructed to self-correct further arrears in naming rounds 10-13. The sectoral breakdown of those employers is presented in Table 1, below.

Table 1: Employers named under the National Minimum Wage naming scheme (rounds 10-13) and instructed to self-correct by the Low Pay Commission by sector

LPC Sector

No. of Employers instructed to self-correct

Childcare

6

Employment Agencies

5

Hairdressing

22

Hospitality

41

Retail

19

Social Care

22

Non low paying sectors

45

Other

9

Total

169

Notes

  1. Sectors with less than 5 employers have been included in an ‘Other’ category to avoid disclosure of self-correction via the naming announcements. Sector definitions are contained within the Low Pay Commission’s autumn 2017 report (p231) -https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/661195/Low_Pay_Commission_2017_report.pdf

HM Revenue and Customs does not hold complete data on employer size, therefore a breakdown by size is not available.

17th Oct 2017
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, with reference to the Government response to the First Report of the Women and Equalities Committee of Session 2016-17, Pregnancy and maternity discrimination, published on 26 January 2017, Cm 9401, when he plans to implement the Government's commitment to bring forward proposals to ensure that those protections in place for women who are pregnant or returning from maternity leave are sufficient.

Protection already exists through the Maternity and Parental Leave etc Regulations 1999. Where redundancy means that it is not practicable to continue to employ a woman on maternity leave under an existing contract, Regulation 10 requires an employer to offer appropriate alternative employment on terms which are not substantially less favourable. We are considering the implications of extending this right into the period when a new mother returns to work and into the period while she is pregnant and at work. In terms of initial consultation, we have also sought the views of the Alliance for Maternity Rights on other potential proposals.

16th Oct 2017
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what support the Government is offering to the employees affected by the closure of some Homebase stores.

We have mobilised Jobcentre Plus’s Rapid response Service to help workers get back into employment as soon as possible. This service is tailored to individuals’ needs and can include some or all of the following:

- Help with job searches, including CV writing and interview skills;

- Help to identify transferable skills and skills gaps, linked to the local labour market;

- Training to update skills, learn new ones and gain industry recognised certification that will improve employability;

- Help to overcome barriers to attending training, securing a job or self-employment, such as child care costs, tools, work clothes and travel costs.

It is worth noting that in June, Bunnings, the owner of Homebase, announced plans to create over 1,000 new jobs in the UK.

20th Jul 2017
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to the Answer of 19 July 2017 to Question 4647, what steps he is taking to ensure firms comply with the Consumer Contracts (Information, Cancellation and Additional Charges) Regulations with regard to the provision of basic rate customer services numbers; and if he will make a statement.

Local Trading Standards and their equivalent in Northern Ireland enforce the Consumer Contracts (Information, Cancellation and Additional Charges) Regulations 2013. Traders are required to comply with these rules when dealing with consumers, including the provision of basic rate customer services numbers. Alleged breaches of legislation should be reported, in the first instance, through the Citizens Advice consumer helpline who will pass on complaints to the relevant enforcement authority where necessary.

12th Jul 2017
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what progress he has made on the planned review of the implementation of the Consumer Contracts (Information, Cancellation and Additional Charges) Regulations with regard to the provision of basic rate customer helplines.

The Consumer Contracts (Information, Cancellation and Additional Charges) Regulations 2013 (CCRs), which came into force on 13 June 2014, requires the Secretary of State to review the regulations 5 years after they have come into force. These implemented the EU Consumer Rights Directive and the Department worked closely with OFCOM with regard to the characteristics of a basic rate number. The Department will review the Regulations, including the provision of basic rate customer helplines, by 13 June 2019.

21st Jun 2017
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, when he intends to respond to the consultation on Furniture and furnishings fire safety regulations: proposed changes, which closed on 11 November 2016.

Revision of these regulations is technically complex and stakeholders hold a wide spectrum of views on the proposals that have been made. We will issue the Government response only after careful consideration of all 120 responses received. The Grenfell Tower fire highlights the need for public protection to remain our priority and we are now reviewing the proposed changes in the light of that tragic event.

21st Jun 2017
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will commission research to determine the take-up of shared parental leave; and if he will make a statement.

We will evaluate Shared Parental Leave in 2018. We anticipate commissioning survey work to measure take-up as part of this evaluation.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, when he plans to publish the regulations to implement the Government's policy of requiring listed companies to publish pay ratios; and whether those regulations are planned to be in force by June 2018.

The Government is committed to introducing a new statutory reporting requirement to require quoted companies to disclose and explain the ratio of the Chief Executive Officer’s total annual remuneration to the average annual remuneration of the company’s UK employees. The regulations to implement this provision (along with the other new reporting provisions being introduced as part of the corporate governance reforms announced in August 2017) are being drafted and will be laid in draft in Parliament later this year subject to other Parliamentary business.

16th Oct 2018
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether the remit of the forthcoming Centre for Data Ethics and Innovation will include the role of artificial intelligence in autonomous weapons systems.

The UK Government is establishing the Centre for Data Ethics and Innovation to identify the measures needed to strengthen and improve the way in which data and AI is used, which will include promoting best practice and advising on how to address potential gaps in the regulatory landscape. The Centre is being established in the first instance in an interim form, following a public consultation on its remit and activities. The content and prioritisation of its work programme will be determined in dialogue with government once it is operational later this year.

The Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport has not had recent discussions with the Secretary of State for Defence on this matter, however officials from both departments meet to discuss these and related AI issues.

16th Oct 2018
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what recent discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Defence on the potential risks associated with the creation of lethal autonomous weapons systems.

The UK Government is establishing the Centre for Data Ethics and Innovation to identify the measures needed to strengthen and improve the way in which data and AI is used, which will include promoting best practice and advising on how to address potential gaps in the regulatory landscape. The Centre is being established in the first instance in an interim form, following a public consultation on its remit and activities. The content and prioritisation of its work programme will be determined in dialogue with government once it is operational later this year.

The Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport has not had recent discussions with the Secretary of State for Defence on this matter, however officials from both departments meet to discuss these and related AI issues.

21st Jun 2018
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what recent discussions he has had with the Minister for Women and Equalities on tackling harassment and discrimination in the music sector.

No such discussions have taken place. This government believes, everyone has the right to feel safe at work and people can only thrive when they operate in a respectful and tolerant environment so that they can make the most of their creative talents.

21st Jun 2018
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of the recommendations in the report Dignity at Work published by the Incorporated Society of Musician's in April 2018.

We are supportive of any steps taken by industry to help ensure people can feel safe and respected in their place of work. We welcome the work being undertaken by the Incorporated Society of Musicians and others within the sector.

5th Nov 2018
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what progress has been made in producing a unified framework of employability skills as agreed to in the Government’s response to the Taylor review of modern working practices.

We have developed guidance for T level panels, including an employability skills framework, to ensure a consistent approach to integrating employability skills in T levels. As part of the government response to the Taylor review, we have committed to publish the guidance in due course. Through this, a framework will be made openly available for other organisations (such as employers and higher education providers, where successful frameworks are already in use) to use if they wish.

16th Apr 2018
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate he has made of the number of students whose classes have been cancelled as a result of the recent strikes by university staff.

Universities are autonomous institutions and it is for them to consider the number of their students whose classes have been affected by strike action. No assessment has been made by the Department for Education, but we remain concerned about any impact of the strikes on students and are pleased that the action has been suspended.

We note that the Universities and Colleges Employers Association, which represents UK higher education organisations as employers, polled the 56 universities that were the focus of strikes on 22 and 23 February 2018. Results of this polling indicated that the overall impact in four out of five institutions was between ‘none’ and ‘low-medium’.

The new regulator for higher education in England, the Office for Students (OfS), has recently issued guidance to students stating that it expects universities to take all reasonable steps to reduce the impact of any future strike action on teaching, learning and assessment, and to communicate clearly to students the impact of any industrial action. Universities should make clear to students how they intend to avoid or mitigate the impact of the disruption caused by strike action.

The OfS will also have the power to request information from registered higher education providers.

2nd Mar 2018
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment he has made of the effect on students of the loss of teaching hours as a result of the university lecturers’ pension strike.

Universities are autonomous institutions and it is for them to assess the impact of the strike action on their provision. While the Department for Education has not made its own assessment, we remain concerned about any impact of the strikes on students and expect universities to put in place measures to maintain the quality of education that students should receive.

We note that the Universities and Colleges Employers Association, which represents UK higher education organisations as employers, polled the 56 universities, which were the focus of strikes on 22 and 23 February 2018. Results of this polling indicate that the overall impact in four out of five institutions was between ‘none’ and ‘low-medium’.

16th Jan 2019
When his Department plans to respond to its consultation entitled Food labelling: amending laws.

Defra intends to provide a summary of responses and the Government response by 7 February as set out on the consultation web page.

David Rutley
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)