Asked by: Justin Madders (Labour - Ellesmere Port and Bromborough)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, when he plans to set out the timelines for the introduction of a (a) consultation on and (b) implementation of secondary legislation contained in Section 24 of the Employment Rights Act 2025.
Answered by Kate Dearden - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
Section 24 of the Employment Rights Act 2025 will address the misuse of non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) by employers who want to silence workers about harassment and discrimination in the workplace.
The Government will consult on the conditions under which NDAs can still be validly made (known in the legislation as 'excepted agreement'). We will also consult on the individuals that a worker with an excepted agreement can speak to (e.g., police or medical professionals).
We will bring forward the consultation shortly. The consultation will inform the policy detail in order to draft regulations and commence this measure in due course.
Asked by: Justin Madders (Labour - Ellesmere Port and Bromborough)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if he plans to launch a consultation on introducing a single status of worker.
Answered by Kate Dearden - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Government is committed to consulting on employment status as soon as possible. The consultation will seek to address issues with the framework which can enable worker exploitation and leave vulnerable workers without core employment protections.
Asked by: Justin Madders (Labour - Ellesmere Port and Bromborough)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps he has taken to move towards a single status of worker.
Answered by Kate Dearden - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Government is committed to consulting on employment status as soon as possible. The consultation will seek to address issues with the framework which can enable worker exploitation and leave vulnerable workers without core employment protections.
Asked by: Justin Madders (Labour - Ellesmere Port and Bromborough)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment he has made of the competitiveness of the UK's refined petroleum industry.
Answered by Martin McCluskey - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Government recognises the challenges facing the refining sector in the UK. The Government continues to engage with the fuel industry to explore what steps can be taken to further support the sector, including considering the feasibility and impacts of including refined products in the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) in the future.
The government has just launched a call for evidence to shape the UK’s long-term strategy for the downstream oil sector. This will gather industry views on the opportunities and barriers to transition, issues and risks to energy security and what Government support may be needed to promote a managed transition.
Asked by: Justin Madders (Labour - Ellesmere Port and Bromborough)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, when he plans to introduce consultation on the reduction of membership threshold from 10% for statutory union recognition ballots.
Answered by Kate Dearden - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Government will implement in April the power in the Employment Rights Act that enables Ministers to issue secondary legislation to vary the 10% recognition application threshold, within parameters of 10% to 2% membership of the bargaining unit.
We intend to consult on varying the threshold later this year.
Asked by: Justin Madders (Labour - Ellesmere Port and Bromborough)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, for what reason the introduction of electronic and workplace balloting was moved from April to August 2026.
Answered by Kate Dearden - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The government will introduce electronic and workplace balloting through a statutory instrument under Section 54 of the Employment Relations Act 2004. Section 54 contains strict requirements that must be met in relation to ensuring that those entitled to vote have the opportunity to do so, the risk of malpractice is minimised, and ensuring that votes are cast in secret. This means the statutory instrument is complex and must be sufficiently detailed in order to meet these requirements. Therefore, to ensure we get the detail right and to minimise the risk of unintended consequences, there will be a short delay and these measures will now take effect in August 2026.
Asked by: Justin Madders (Labour - Ellesmere Port and Bromborough)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, when he plans to introduce the draft code of practice on electronic and workplace balloting for statutory union ballots.
Answered by Kate Dearden - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The consultation on the draft Code of Practice on electronic and workplace balloting for statutory union ballots recently closed on 28 January. Officials are in the process of reviewing the responses, and we will publish a formal response in due course.
A final draft of the Code of Practice will be laid in Parliament alongside the statutory instrument to enable these new voting methods to take effect in August 2026.
Asked by: Justin Madders (Labour - Ellesmere Port and Bromborough)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of making the Fair Work Agency a prescribed body under the Public Interest Disclosure Act 1998.
Answered by Kate Dearden - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Fair Work Agency will be established in phases. Initially, in April 2026, we will focus on bringing together the current enforcement bodies, delivering a single set of enforcement and investigatory powers, establishing the Advisory Board and ensuring there are clear routes for workers and businesses to get in touch.
Once established, the Agency will expand its enforcement role and we will consider any additional functions, such as whether it should become a prescribed body for whistleblowing disclosures.
Asked by: Justin Madders (Labour - Ellesmere Port and Bromborough)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of including trade union representatives in Alan Milburn's investigation to tackle rising youth inactivity.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
DWP recognises the important role that the trade unions can play in a modern workplace, including the benefits that effective engagement between employers and unions can bring.
Colleagues working on the Young People and Work Report continue to engage with trade union representatives.
As part of the report, Alan Milburn is engaging with a range of fellow experts in the labour market, education, welfare and health spheres, as well as employers and people with lived experience to inform the findings and recommendations.
Asked by: Justin Madders (Labour - Ellesmere Port and Bromborough)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the total cost of litigation with the WASPI Campaign has been since December 2024.
Answered by Torsten Bell - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
Based on the information held, since December 2024, the recorded legal costs on litigation brought by WASPI including disbursements and VAT are £149,409.74.