Asked by: Lisa Cameron (Conservative - East Kilbride, Strathaven and Lesmahagow)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent assessment she has made of the extent of labour exploitation in garment factories in the UK; and if she will make a statement.
Answered by Victoria Atkins - Shadow Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
The Government is committed to tackling modern slavery and will not tolerate the exploitation of vulnerable workers for commercial gain. We have taken a number of steps to deal with the issues in the textiles sector and take the issue very seriously.
As a result of the widespread allegations of labour exploitation in the garment sector in Leicester, a multi-agency taskforce (Op TACIT), led by the Gangmasters Labour Abuse Authority (GLAA), has been set up to bring together the enforcement bodies to work together to secure robust intelligence to carry out appropriate enforcement activity. The Taskforce is physically based in Leicester and draws in all the relevant enforcement organisations and agencies including, Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs- National Minimum Wage; Employment Agencies Standards Inspectorate; Leicestershire Police; National Crime Agency; Health and Safety Executive; Leicester City Council; Department for Work and Pensions; Public Health England; Leicester Fire and Rescue Service and Immigration Enforcement.
While we cannot comment on any ongoing investigations, we can confirm that since 1 July, 116 factory inspections have been undertaken by the taskforce including the Health and Safety Executive, the Gangmasters and Labour Abuse Authority, HMRC and Leicestershire police.
The Taskforce activity is regularly reviewed and overseen by Ministers to ensure the most appropriate and effective law enforcement response is adopted to respond to emerging threats. The lessons learnt from this taskforce will be taken into consideration as the Government develop the single enforcement body for employment rights.
Asked by: Lisa Cameron (Conservative - East Kilbride, Strathaven and Lesmahagow)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many completed inspections of garment factories in Leicester have been carried out by (a) the Health and Safety Executive, (b) the Gangmasters and Labour Abuse Authority, (c) HMRC and (d) Leicestershire police since 1 July 2020.
Answered by Victoria Atkins - Shadow Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
The Government is committed to tackling modern slavery and will not tolerate the exploitation of vulnerable workers for commercial gain. We have taken a number of steps to deal with the issues in the textiles sector and take the issue very seriously.
As a result of the widespread allegations of labour exploitation in the garment sector in Leicester, a multi-agency taskforce (Op TACIT), led by the Gangmasters Labour Abuse Authority (GLAA), has been set up to bring together the enforcement bodies to work together to secure robust intelligence to carry out appropriate enforcement activity. The Taskforce is physically based in Leicester and draws in all the relevant enforcement organisations and agencies including, Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs- National Minimum Wage; Employment Agencies Standards Inspectorate; Leicestershire Police; National Crime Agency; Health and Safety Executive; Leicester City Council; Department for Work and Pensions; Public Health England; Leicester Fire and Rescue Service and Immigration Enforcement.
While we cannot comment on any ongoing investigations, we can confirm that since 1 July, 116 factory inspections have been undertaken by the taskforce including the Health and Safety Executive, the Gangmasters and Labour Abuse Authority, HMRC and Leicestershire police.
The Taskforce activity is regularly reviewed and overseen by Ministers to ensure the most appropriate and effective law enforcement response is adopted to respond to emerging threats. The lessons learnt from this taskforce will be taken into consideration as the Government develop the single enforcement body for employment rights.
Asked by: Lisa Cameron (Conservative - East Kilbride, Strathaven and Lesmahagow)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when the multi-agency local taskforce in Leicester plans to report its findings following its examination of labour exploitation in garment factories in Leicester.
Answered by Victoria Atkins - Shadow Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
The Government is committed to tackling modern slavery and will not tolerate the exploitation of vulnerable workers for commercial gain. We have taken a number of steps to deal with the issues in the textiles sector and take the issue very seriously.
As a result of the widespread allegations of labour exploitation in the garment sector in Leicester, a multi-agency taskforce (Op TACIT), led by the Gangmasters Labour Abuse Authority (GLAA), has been set up to bring together the enforcement bodies to work together to secure robust intelligence to carry out appropriate enforcement activity. The Taskforce is physically based in Leicester and draws in all the relevant enforcement organisations and agencies including, Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs- National Minimum Wage; Employment Agencies Standards Inspectorate; Leicestershire Police; National Crime Agency; Health and Safety Executive; Leicester City Council; Department for Work and Pensions; Public Health England; Leicester Fire and Rescue Service and Immigration Enforcement.
While we cannot comment on any ongoing investigations, we can confirm that since 1 July, 116 factory inspections have been undertaken by the taskforce including the Health and Safety Executive, the Gangmasters and Labour Abuse Authority, HMRC and Leicestershire police.
The Taskforce activity is regularly reviewed and overseen by Ministers to ensure the most appropriate and effective law enforcement response is adopted to respond to emerging threats. The lessons learnt from this taskforce will be taken into consideration as the Government develop the single enforcement body for employment rights.
Asked by: Lisa Cameron (Conservative - East Kilbride, Strathaven and Lesmahagow)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of the Gangmasters and Labour Abuse Authority licensing requirement in the food and farming sector to protect workers from exploitation.
Answered by Victoria Atkins - Shadow Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
The Gangmasters and Labour Abuse Authority (GLAA) operates a licensing scheme for labour providers operating in the agriculture, horticulture, shellfish gathering and associated processing and packaging sectors. The licensing scheme ensures that businesses in these sectors are compliant with UK legislation, and that workers’ rights are not breached. The GLAA’s licensing standards sets out the legislation and working conditions that these businesses must be adhere to.
Under the Gangmasters (Licensing Authority) Regulations 2005 the GLAA is required to produce an Annual Report and Accounts which is laid before Parliament each year by the Secretary of State for the Home Office. This report, which sets out its activities and financial information for the previous financial year, includes a performance report and analysis of the GLAA’s functions, including its licensing scheme.
The GLAA’s most recent Annual Report and Accounts is published here:
Asked by: Lisa Cameron (Conservative - East Kilbride, Strathaven and Lesmahagow)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps the Leicester multi-agency taskforce is taking to tackle labour exploitation in garment factories.
Answered by Victoria Atkins - Shadow Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
The Government is committed to tackling modern slavery and will not tolerate the exploitation of vulnerable workers for commercial gain. We have taken a number of steps to deal with the issues in the textiles sector and take the issue very seriously.
As a result of the widespread allegations of labour exploitation in the garment sector in Leicester, a multi-agency taskforce (Op TACIT), led by the Gangmasters Labour Abuse Authority (GLAA), has been set up to bring together the enforcement bodies to work together to secure robust intelligence to carry out appropriate enforcement activity. The Taskforce is physically based in Leicester and draws in all the relevant enforcement organisations and agencies including, Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs- National Minimum Wage; Employment Agencies Standards Inspectorate; Leicestershire Police; National Crime Agency; Health and Safety Executive; Leicester City Council; Department for Work and Pensions; Public Health England; Leicester Fire and Rescue Service and Immigration Enforcement.
While we cannot comment on any ongoing investigations, we can confirm that since 1 July, 116 factory inspections have been undertaken by the taskforce including the Health and Safety Executive, the Gangmasters and Labour Abuse Authority, HMRC and Leicestershire police.
The Taskforce activity is regularly reviewed and overseen by Ministers to ensure the most appropriate and effective law enforcement response is adopted to respond to emerging threats. The lessons learnt from this taskforce will be taken into consideration as the Government develop the single enforcement body for employment rights.
Asked by: Lisa Cameron (Conservative - East Kilbride, Strathaven and Lesmahagow)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent assessment she has made of the level of labour exploitation in garment factories in the UK; and if she will make a statement.
Answered by Victoria Atkins - Shadow Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
The Government is committed to tackling labour exploitation and protecting workers’ rights. We have taken a number of steps to deal with the issues in the textiles sector and take this issue very seriously. In light of the very concerning recent allegations of illegal and unsafe working conditions for garment workers in Leicester, a multi-agency Taskforce, led by the Gangmasters and Labour Abuse Authority (GLAA) has been established to enable the relevant enforcement bodies to work together at pace, to take appropriate action against unscrupulous employers and individuals who exploit workers.
We are also working in partnership with the industry through the Apparel and General Merchandise Public and Private Protocol, a partnership between enforcement bodies and industry partners - including, the British Retail Consortium, UK Fashion and the Textile Association – aimed at tackling all forms of labour exploitation in the garment industry. Given the serious nature of the allegations in Leicester and the spectrum of labour market non-compliance issues that have been raised, it is imperative that we have a strong evidence base to inform the options we are considering to protect vulnerable workers and drive up standards. The Government will continue to work closely with the taskforce to consider the most appropriate measures to tackle labour exploitation in this sector.
The Government is committed to improving enforcement of employment rights. We have announced the intention to introduce a Single Enforcement Body, which will provide a clearer route for workers to raise a complaint and get support, enabling more coordinated enforcement action and the use of pooled intelligence to better target proactive enforcement. The public consultation on the establishment of the new Single Enforcement Body included questions on extending licensing to other high-risk sectors. We will publish a response to this consultation in due course.
Asked by: Lisa Cameron (Conservative - East Kilbride, Strathaven and Lesmahagow)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will introduce a fit to trade licensing scheme to tackle labour exploitation in garment factories.
Answered by Victoria Atkins - Shadow Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
The Government is committed to tackling labour exploitation and protecting workers’ rights. We have taken a number of steps to deal with the issues in the textiles sector and take this issue very seriously. In light of the very concerning recent allegations of illegal and unsafe working conditions for garment workers in Leicester, a multi-agency Taskforce, led by the Gangmasters and Labour Abuse Authority (GLAA) has been established to enable the relevant enforcement bodies to work together at pace, to take appropriate action against unscrupulous employers and individuals who exploit workers.
We are also working in partnership with the industry through the Apparel and General Merchandise Public and Private Protocol, a partnership between enforcement bodies and industry partners - including, the British Retail Consortium, UK Fashion and the Textile Association – aimed at tackling all forms of labour exploitation in the garment industry. Given the serious nature of the allegations in Leicester and the spectrum of labour market non-compliance issues that have been raised, it is imperative that we have a strong evidence base to inform the options we are considering to protect vulnerable workers and drive up standards. The Government will continue to work closely with the taskforce to consider the most appropriate measures to tackle labour exploitation in this sector.
The Government is committed to improving enforcement of employment rights. We have announced the intention to introduce a Single Enforcement Body, which will provide a clearer route for workers to raise a complaint and get support, enabling more coordinated enforcement action and the use of pooled intelligence to better target proactive enforcement. The public consultation on the establishment of the new Single Enforcement Body included questions on extending licensing to other high-risk sectors. We will publish a response to this consultation in due course.
Asked by: Lisa Cameron (Conservative - East Kilbride, Strathaven and Lesmahagow)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make it her policy to reopen registry offices as part of the lifting of covid-19 lockdown restrictions to enable couples to obtain a licence to marry.
Answered by Kevin Foster
The local registration service in England and Wales has been advised notices of intention to marry or form a civil partnership can be taken where these can be safely delivered in line with public health and local authority guidelines.
Asked by: Lisa Cameron (Conservative - East Kilbride, Strathaven and Lesmahagow)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make it her policy to reverse her Department's plans to not issue visas to low-skilled migrants in response to the covid-19 pandemic.
Answered by Kevin Foster
We will not be introducing a route for employers to recruit at or near the legal minimum wage those the member believes are “low-skilled migrants” based on job offers which do not meet the requirements of the new skilled worker route.
Immigration policies should be considered as part of, not as an alternative to, efforts to get those UK based workers who have lost their employment due to the impacts of Covid-19 back into work or ensuring those who work in key roles are offered appropriate salary packages.
Asked by: Lisa Cameron (Conservative - East Kilbride, Strathaven and Lesmahagow)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to representations on the (a) merits of onshoring during the covid-19 pandemic and (b) domestic production of personal protective equipment, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of adding textiles, garment and footwear workers to the Shortage Occupation List.
Answered by Kevin Foster
The independent Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) advises the Government on which occupations are deemed in national shortage.
We have commissioned the MAC to compile Shortage Occupation Lists covering all occupations encompassed by the new Skilled Worker route, for introduction from January 2021, and to keep the lists under regular review.
The MAC has recently issued its call for evidence and we encourage all of those with an interest to contribute.