Asked by: Stewart Malcolm McDonald (Scottish National Party - Glasgow South)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what plans he has for nuclear waste management in the event that there is no capacity for deep disposal of such waste.
Answered by Lord Harrington of Watford
Higher activity radioactive waste (which includes high level waste and intermediate level waste) is safely and securely stored in above ground storage facilities. Such storage will continue until the availability of a deep geological disposal facility.
Asked by: Stewart Malcolm McDonald (Scottish National Party - Glasgow South)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will take steps to ensure that people who have completed unpaid work trials are able to claim back payment for that work.
Answered by Andrew Griffiths
HMRC inspectors consider work trials on a case-by-case basis. Where they come to the view that the arrangements constitute “work” under existing National Minimum Wage regulations, they will require employers to repay any arrears and will impose fines.
HMRC will respond to every complaint received from workers who are concerned about work trials.
Asked by: Stewart Malcolm McDonald (Scottish National Party - Glasgow South)
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 had with (a) workers, (b) trade unions and (c) employers in advance of the Government's annual advertising campaign to encourage workers to take action if they are not receiving the national living wage or the national minimum wage.
Answered by Andrew Griffiths
Key stakeholders, including large and small businesses, trade unions and business representative bodies, were briefed on key elements of the National Living and Minimum Wage campaigns ahead of the launch at the end of March.
The Department also created communications packs for employer and employee stakeholders, each with important information to share with members in advance of, and during, the advertising campaign. The packs were also translated into Welsh.
Asked by: Stewart Malcolm McDonald (Scottish National Party - Glasgow South)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what estimate he has made of the number of people who have undertaken unpaid work trials in 2017-18.
Answered by Andrew Griffiths
I am meeting worker and employer representatives to discuss guidance on the limited circumstances when short unpaid trials as part of a genuine recruitment process are legitimate.
Asked by: Stewart Malcolm McDonald (Scottish National Party - Glasgow South)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many people have undertaken unpaid work periods in his Department since 2016; and how many of those people were not subsequently offered a full-time work position.
Answered by Lord Harrington of Watford
The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) participates in centrally run and unpaid work placement schemes designed to promote social mobility and offer the opportunity to work shadow/gain work experience in the Civil Service.
The schemes in question on which we can report numbers are:
Since the formation of BEIS in July 2016, we have had 1 Movement to Work placement, 10 EDIP students and 13 Civil Service Work Experience placements.
The route for applying for full-time work positions would be through fair and open competition for advertised roles. Based on departmental data, none of those who took part in these placements subsequently succeeded in applying for full-time work positions in BEIS.
Asked by: Stewart Malcolm McDonald (Scottish National Party - Glasgow South)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that job applicants are paid at least the minimum wage for work trials.
Answered by Andrew Griffiths
National Minimum Wage legislation provides that, if an individual is a “worker” for minimum wage purposes, he or she must be paid at least the national minimum or living wage. Short unpaid trials are permissible if they are part of a genuine recruitment exercise.
HM Revenue and Customs take action against employers attempting to exploit workers by not complying with minimum wage legislation. They respond to all complaints and assess the facts of each case. Where they come to the view that unpaid work trials are in fact “work” under National Minimum Wage legislation, they will require the employer to pay any arrears to the worker and to pay a fine of up to 200% of the arrears.
The Government’s policy is that it is unacceptable to exploit workers through excessively long unpaid work trials. We are therefore preparing guidance that will bring clarity on the responsibility of employers to pay the National Minimum Wage. We will work with key business and worker stakeholders in developing that guidance.
Asked by: Stewart Malcolm McDonald (Scottish National Party - Glasgow South)
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 level of use of unpaid trial shifts at the outset of employment.
Answered by Andrew Griffiths
National Minimum Wage legislation provides that, if an individual is a “worker” for minimum wage purposes, he or she must be paid at least the national minimum or living wage. Short unpaid trials are permissible if they are part of a genuine recruitment exercise.
HM Revenue and Customs take action against employers attempting to exploit workers by not complying with minimum wage legislation. They respond to all complaints and assess the facts of each case. Where they come to the view that unpaid work trials are in fact “work” under National Minimum Wage legislation, they will require the employer to pay any arrears to the worker and to pay a fine of up to 200% of the arrears.
The Government’s policy is that it is unacceptable to exploit workers through excessively long unpaid work trials. We are therefore preparing guidance that will bring clarity on the responsibility of employers to pay the National Minimum Wage. We will work with key business and worker stakeholders in developing that guidance.
Asked by: Stewart Malcolm McDonald (Scottish National Party - Glasgow South)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what estimate he has made of the total volume of UK-generated radioactive waste that will be sent to Australia's proposed national radioactive waste facility; what the origins are of the waste that will be returned to Australia for disposal in that facility; and what the level of radioactivity is of all the waste that will be sent to that facility.
Answered by Lord Harrington of Watford
In 1996 the Australia Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (ANSTO) signed a contract with the United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA) for the processing of spent nuclear fuel from the Australian research reactor at the Dounreay reprocessing facility. The contract contained an obligation to return uranium and an option to return waste which is supported by a MoU between the UK and Australian Governments in the form of an intergovernmental letter. The radioactive waste, which arose from the processing, comprises several tens of drums of cemented waste. The Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) assumed responsibility for the material when it became owners of Dounreay in 2005.
Cemented waste is challenging in terms of transport and volume, and for the ANSTO waste the return would require multiple moves or the provision of new flasks to ensure transport can be secured. The Scottish and UK Governments consulted on a proposed policy of radioactive waste substitution for the radioactive waste arising from historic fuel reprocessing contracts with overseas customers at Dounreay in 2010. Agreement was reached between the Scottish and UK Governments on 16 March 2012. Waste substitution is an internationally accepted practice where a radiological equivalent amount of waste is returned to the customer in a form that is acceptable. A contract was signed in 2014 with the NDA to enable waste substitution.
The substituted radioactive waste will be in the form of four vitrified residue containers holding waste which falls within the activity levels of Intermediate Level Waste. The vitrified residue (sealing of radioactive waste in molten glass poured into engineered stainless steel containers) comes from Sellafield. Waste in this form is immobilised. The cemented drums containing the Australian-origin radioactive waste from the processing of the spent nuclear fuel will be retained and managed at Dounreay pending final disposal, as the Dounreay Intermediate Level Waste stores are designed to accept it.
The vitrified residues are forecast to be returned to Australia by 2022 and are expected to be stored in an authorised storage facility located at Lucas Heights near Sydney, where the Australian research reactor is located. Following storage at Lucas Heights the vitrified residues will be co-located with a new disposal facility for Low Level Waste and will be temporary stored at that facility.
The Australian Government accepts that it has an international obligation to receive the vitrified residues. The Department of Industry, Innovation and Science (DIIS) is charged with identifying a site – National Radioactive Waste Management Facility – for its Low Level Waste currently stored in 100 different places around Australia. The NDA has been informed that following a public consultation process across Australia, DIIS is now actively engaged in dialogue with two communities in South Australia – Wallerberdina Station, near Hawker, and at Kimba. A decision on where the facility will be located has not yet been made.
Asked by: Stewart Malcolm McDonald (Scottish National Party - Glasgow South)
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 had with his counterparts at the Department for Transport prior to Nissan's announcement of 27 October 2016 on the production of the next Qashqai and X-Trail models in the UK.
Answered by Nick Hurd
My Rt hon friend the Secretary of State has regular discussions with Ministerial Colleagues on a number of issues.
Asked by: Stewart Malcolm McDonald (Scottish National Party - Glasgow South)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if his Department will take steps to ensure that storage or disposal of nuclear waste is compliant with the obligations outlined in Article 29 of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.
Answered by Jesse Norman
The storage and disposal of radioactive waste in the UK is, and will continue to be, carried out in accordance with the requirements of national and international law.