Asked by: Susan Murray (Liberal Democrat - Mid Dunbartonshire)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of the individual opt-out agreement under the Working Time Regulations 1998 on levels of exploitation in low-paid employment.
Answered by Justin Madders - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
A review of the impact of the Working Time Regulations on the UK labour market was undertaken by the Coalition Government in 2014. It found a decline since 1998 in the incidence of long-hours working despite the existence of the opt-out, and a general trend towards shorter working hours.
It also found that the vast majority of long-hours workers would not have wanted to work fewer than 48 hours per week if it meant less pay, and that long-hours working was generally more prevalent in high income and highly skilled occupations compared to lower income and medium and low-skilled occupations.
Asked by: Susan Murray (Liberal Democrat - Mid Dunbartonshire)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of the individual opt-out agreement under the Working Time Regulations 1998 on employee protections.
Answered by Justin Madders - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
A review of the impact of the Working Time Regulations on the UK labour market was undertaken by the Coalition Government in 2014. It found a decline since 1998 in the incidence of long-hours working despite the existence of the opt-out, and a general trend towards shorter working hours.
It also found that the vast majority of long-hours workers would not have wanted to work fewer than 48 hours per week if it meant less pay, and that there appeared to be broad based support for the opt-out amongst UK business, long-hours workers, and the wider public.
Asked by: Susan Murray (Liberal Democrat - Mid Dunbartonshire)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of the bounce back loan scheme implemented during the Covid-19 pandemic; and what assessment he has made of trends in the level of repayment.
Answered by Gareth Thomas - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The British Business Bank is undertaking a multi-year evaluation of the Covid-19 loan schemes, looking at whether the schemes met their objectives. The Year 2 evaluation report was published in November 2023 and shows that the schemes met their primary objectives of unlocking credit for businesses at scale and speed, reaching just over a quarter of small businesses in the UK. Evaluation evidence to date suggest that the schemes have had a positive impact on business outcomes like survival, turnover and employment.
Covid loan guarantee scheme performance data is published on a quarterly basis. As at 30 September 2024, within the Bounce Back Loan Scheme, £6.61 billion had been fully repaid by borrowers and £12.10 billion was being repaid on schedule.
Asked by: Susan Murray (Liberal Democrat - Mid Dunbartonshire)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what support the Government provides to (a) individuals and (b) businesses impacted by rogue operators in the building industry.
Answered by Justin Madders - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Consumer Rights Act 2015 sets out the standards consumers can expect when a trader supplies goods and services, including building work, and remedies if these rights are breached. Consumers can seek redress through local authority trading standards or the Small Claims Court.
Ensuring that we have a high-quality and professional construction industry is the best way to protect commercial clients. The Building Safety Act 2022 has introduced competence requirements for both individuals and businesses working in the built environment.