Asked by: Michael Wheeler (Labour - Worsley and Eccles)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, with reference to his Department's consultation document entitled Make Work Pay: ending one-sided flexibility – reforms of zero hours and similar contracts, published on 2 June 2026, whether his Department assessed the relationship between each proposed hours threshold and the earnings required to meet basic living costs.
Answered by Kate Dearden - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The government has published a comprehensive assessment of the potential impacts from the zero hours contract measures in the Employment Rights Act 2025 and will publish further analysis in due course. This includes an assessment of the impact of the measures on low-paid workers.
The government’s preference is for the hours threshold for the right to guaranteed hours to be between 8 and 20 hours per week, on the basis that options in this range are more likely to provide a favourable balance of costs and benefits. A baseline of 8 hours per week mitigates against potential avoidance behaviour of employers moving zero hours workers to contracts with a very low number of hours. We believe that options up to 20 hours per week would be more likely to ensure that workers experiencing one-sided flexibility benefited from the right to guaranteed hours, while balancing the need to be proportionate in the costs to employers and the potential for unintended impacts.
Asked by: Michael Wheeler (Labour - Worsley and Eccles)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment her Department has made of the effectiveness of workplace lottery exemptions under the Gambling Act 2005 in enabling workplace sweepstakes associated with major sporting events in the context of increased remote and hybrid working.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
Workplace lotteries and sweepstakes are a fun way of bringing people together to enjoy and engage with major sporting events.
We are aware that the legislation, as drafted, is arguably now somewhat out of date given the context of increased remote and hybrid working. We will look to amend it at the earliest opportunity, but in the meantime, we would encourage the spirit of the legislation to be adhered to.
Asked by: Michael Wheeler (Labour - Worsley and Eccles)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, with reference to his Department’s consultation document entitled Make Work Pay: ending one-sided flexibility – reforms of zero hours and similar contracts, published on 2 June 2026, how many meetings with businesses his Department had when concluding the Government’s preference is to set the threshold within 8 to 20 hours per week.
Answered by Kate Dearden - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
Ministers and officials have engaged extensively with business, trade unions and representative organisations on the zero hours measures in the Employment Rights Act 2025, informing the development of the consultation.
We have held over 13 individual meetings and more than 6 roundtables with businesses on these measures. We have held over 11 individual meetings and more than 4 roundtables with trade unions alongside wider engagement on Make Work Pay. We continue to meet regularly with business representative organisations and trade unions.
Asked by: Michael Wheeler (Labour - Worsley and Eccles)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, with reference to his Department’s consultation document entitled Make Work Pay: ending one-sided flexibility – reforms of zero hours and similar contracts, published on 2 June 2026, what is the evidential basis for the Government's preference for an hours threshold within the range of 8 to 20 hours per week.
Answered by Kate Dearden - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The government has published a comprehensive assessment of the potential impacts from the zero hours contract measures in the Employment Rights Act 2025 and will publish further analysis in due course.
The government’s preference is for the hours threshold for the right to guaranteed hours to be between 8 and 20 hours per week, on the basis that options in this range are more likely to provide a favourable balance of costs and benefits. A baseline of 8 hours per week mitigates against potential avoidance behaviour of employers moving zero hours workers to contracts with a very low number of hours. We believe that options up to 20 hours per week would be more likely to ensure that workers experiencing one-sided flexibility benefited from the right to guaranteed hours, while balancing the need to be proportionate in the costs to employers and the potential for unintended impacts.
Asked by: Michael Wheeler (Labour - Worsley and Eccles)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, with reference to his Department's consultation document entitled Make Work Pay: ending one-sided flexibility – reforms of zero hours and similar contracts, published on 2 June 2026, what definition his Department uses of "income security" for the purpose of determining an hours threshold.
Answered by Kate Dearden - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
Our focus is on giving income security to people who do not have it: particularly those with zero hours and similar contracts, who lack security and predictability.
The government’s preference is for the hours threshold for the right to guaranteed hours to be between 8 and 20 hours per week, on the basis that options in this range are more likely to provide a favourable balance of costs and benefits. A baseline of 8 hours per week mitigates against potential avoidance behaviour of employers moving zero hours workers to contracts with a very low number of hours. We believe that options up to 20 hours per week would be more likely to ensure that workers experiencing one-sided flexibility benefited from the right to guaranteed hours, while balancing the need to be proportionate in the costs to employers and the potential for unintended impacts.
Asked by: Michael Wheeler (Labour - Worsley and Eccles)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, with reference to his Department's consultation document entitled Make Work Pay: ending one-sided flexibility – reforms of zero hours and similar contracts, published on 2 June 2026, what is the evidential basis for the Government's preference for those with more than 20 guaranteed hours falling outside the scope of the proposed right.
Answered by Kate Dearden - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The government has published a comprehensive assessment of the potential impacts from the zero hours contract measures in the Employment Rights Act 2025 and will publish further analysis in due course.
The government’s preference for the hours threshold for the right to guaranteed hours is between 8 and 20 hours per week. A baseline of 8 hours per week mitigates against potential avoidance behaviour of employers while options up to 20 hours per week would be more likely to ensure that workers experiencing one-sided flexibility benefited from the right, while balancing the need to be proportionate in the costs to employers and the potential for unintended impacts.
Asked by: Michael Wheeler (Labour - Worsley and Eccles)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, with reference to his Department’s consultation document entitled Make Work Pay: ending one-sided flexibility – reforms of zero hours and similar contracts, published on 2 June 2026, whether his Department has estimated the number of workers who would be excluded from the right to guaranteed hours under thresholds of (a) 8, (b) 12, (c) 16, (d) 20 and (e) more than 20 guaranteed hours per week.
Answered by Kate Dearden - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to Question 8243 on 15 June 2026.
Asked by: Michael Wheeler (Labour - Worsley and Eccles)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, with reference to his Department’s consultation document entitled Make Work Pay: ending one-sided flexibility – reforms of zero hours and similar contracts, published on 2 June 2026, what meetings he had with businesses when determining how to maintain business flexibility.
Answered by Kate Dearden - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to Question 7811 on 8 June 2026.
Asked by: Michael Wheeler (Labour - Worsley and Eccles)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, with reference to his Department’s consultation document entitled Make Work Pay: ending one-sided flexibility – reforms of zero hours and similar contracts, published on 2 June 2026, what cost-benefit analysis his Department has undertaken comparing thresholds of 8, 12, 16, 20 and more than 20 guaranteed hours per week; and if he will publish the results of that analysis.
Answered by Kate Dearden - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to Question 7810 on 12 June 2026.
Asked by: Michael Wheeler (Labour - Worsley and Eccles)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, with reference to his Department’s consultation document entitled Make Work Pay: ending one-sided flexibility – reforms of zero hours and similar contracts, published on 2 June 2026, which businesses his Department met with during the preparation of the consultation.
Answered by Kate Dearden - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
Ministers and officials have engaged extensively with business, trade unions and representative organisations on the zero hours measures in the Employment Rights Act 2025, informing the development of the consultation.
Details of Ministers’ meetings with external organisations are published quarterly on GOV.UK.