Asked by: Wendy Chamberlain (Liberal Democrat - North East Fife)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, pursuant to the Answer of 12 December 2025 to Question 96733, how many of the EASI inspections carried out in Scotland in 2024/25 took place (a) on farms and (b) in social care settings.
Answered by Kate Dearden - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Employment Agency Standards Inspectorates legal remit only extends to Employment Agencies and Businesses.
Therefore, EAS has no legal powers to conduct visits to farms or social care settings and has conducted no visits in the sectors queried.
EAS does however work closely with The Gangmasters Labour Abuse Authority (GLAA) and the Care Inspectorate in Scotland, who do have the necessary powers in the queried sectors.
Asked by: Wendy Chamberlain (Liberal Democrat - North East Fife)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what is the total number of Employment Agencies Standards Inspectorate staff; and how many of these staff are a) based in Scotland and b) cover Scotland in their role responsibilities.
Answered by Kate Dearden - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Employment Agency Standards Inspectorate (EAS) has the budget for 35 members of staff.
EAS currently have one member of staff that is based in Scotland, but all staff can be deployed across the whole of Great Britain as required.
Based on EAS management information, the table below sets out the number of in person or online visits conducted at the time due to covid restrictions.
Employment Agencies Standards Inspectorate – Scotland Inspections (Last Five Years)
Financial Year | Number of Inspections |
2020/2021 | 0 (Covid restrictions) |
2021/2022 | 26 (Online inspections due to Covid restrictions) |
2022/2023 | 29 |
2023/2024 | 0 |
2024/2025 | 55 |
Total | 110 |
Asked by: Wendy Chamberlain (Liberal Democrat - North East Fife)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, how many in-person inspections were carried out by the Employment Agencies Standards Inspectorate in Scotland in each of the last five years.
Answered by Kate Dearden - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Employment Agency Standards Inspectorate (EAS) has the budget for 35 members of staff.
EAS currently have one member of staff that is based in Scotland, but all staff can be deployed across the whole of Great Britain as required.
Based on EAS management information, the table below sets out the number of in person or online visits conducted at the time due to covid restrictions.
Employment Agencies Standards Inspectorate – Scotland Inspections (Last Five Years)
Financial Year | Number of Inspections |
2020/2021 | 0 (Covid restrictions) |
2021/2022 | 26 (Online inspections due to Covid restrictions) |
2022/2023 | 29 |
2023/2024 | 0 |
2024/2025 | 55 |
Total | 110 |
Asked by: Wendy Chamberlain (Liberal Democrat - North East Fife)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether she has made a recent assessment of the potential impact of the level of paid carers leave on rates of economic activity.
Answered by Kevin Hollinrake - Shadow Minister without Portfolio
A new entitlement of up to a week of unpaid carer’s leave was introduced for employees from 6 April 2024. The published Impact Assessment (IA) contains a cost benefit analysis and full evaluation of the policy. We estimate there are 2.5 million people balancing employment and unpaid care, who could benefit from this new entitlement.
The IA commits to reviewing the effectiveness and rationale for the policy by seeking evidence from businesses and employees in 5 years. The IA was published during the passage of the Bill on https://bills.parliament.uk/bills/3199/publications under the Impact Assessment tab.
Asked by: Wendy Chamberlain (Liberal Democrat - North East Fife)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether she has made a recent assessment of the potential merits for (a) businesses and (b) workers of introducing paid carers leave.
Answered by Kevin Hollinrake - Shadow Minister without Portfolio
A new entitlement of up to a week of unpaid carer’s leave was introduced for employees from 6 April 2024. The published Impact Assessment (IA) contains a cost benefit analysis and full evaluation of the policy. We estimate there are 2.5 million people balancing employment and unpaid care, who could benefit from this new entitlement.
The IA commits to reviewing the effectiveness and rationale for the policy by seeking evidence from businesses and employees in 5 years. The IA was published during the passage of the Bill on https://bills.parliament.uk/bills/3199/publications under the Impact Assessment tab.
Asked by: Wendy Chamberlain (Liberal Democrat - North East Fife)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, pursuant to the Answer of 11 March 2024 to Question 16834 on Trade Agreements: Dispute Resolution, whether she has made an assessment of the potential implications for her policies of the findings of the UN Special Rapporteur's report entitled Paying polluters: the catastrophic consequences of investor-State dispute settlement for climate action and human rights relating to the transparency of investor-State dispute settlements.
Answered by Alan Mak
I refer the Hon. Member to the response provided to Question 16553 on 11 March.
Asked by: Wendy Chamberlain (Liberal Democrat - North East Fife)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps her Department has taken to raise awareness of carer's leave amongst employers.
Answered by Kevin Hollinrake - Shadow Minister without Portfolio
The Department for Business and Trade has carried out a range of activities to raise awareness of Carer’s Leave with employers. This includes producing associated guidance, which is available through GOV.UK (https://www.gov.uk/carers-leave), and working closely with a range of stakeholders, including Carers UK and the Business Representative Organisations, to communicate the changes directly to employers, for example through newsletters and webinars. The Department is also promoting Carers Leave through the ‘Help to Grow’ website (https://helptogrow.campaign.gov.uk/new-changes-to-employment-law/).
Acas has also produced guidance (https://www.acas.org.uk/carers-leave).
Asked by: Wendy Chamberlain (Liberal Democrat - North East Fife)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment she has made of the implications for her policies of the report entitled Paying polluters: the catastrophic consequences of investor-State dispute settlement for climate and environment action and human rights by the Special Rapporteur on the issue of human rights obligations relating to the enjoyment of a safe, clean, healthy and sustainable environment, published on 13 July 2023.
Answered by Nusrat Ghani
Investor-State Dispute Settlement (ISDS) is an effective means of resolving investment disputes. The UK has investment agreements containing ISDS with around 90 trading partners. There has not been a successful ISDS claim brought against the UK, nor does ISDS hinder our right to regulate in the public interest, including in areas such as the environment and human rights. This right is recognised in international law.
Where the UK negotiates ISDS, in line with modern international best practice, it ensures the mechanism delivers fair outcomes of disputes, has independent arbitrators bound by high ethical standards, and that proceedings are transparent.
Asked by: Wendy Chamberlain (Liberal Democrat - North East Fife)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, with reference to pages 3-5 paragraphs 1-9 of the report by UN Special Rapporteur entitled Paying polluters: the catastrophic consequences of investor-State dispute settlement for climate and environment action and human rights, published on 13 July 2023, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of not including the investor state dispute settlement in future trade agreements.
Answered by Nusrat Ghani
Investor-State Dispute Settlement (ISDS) is an effective means of resolving investment disputes. The UK has investment agreements containing ISDS with around 90 trading partners. There has not been a successful ISDS claim brought against the UK, nor does ISDS hinder our right to regulate in the public interest, including in areas such as the environment and human rights. This right is recognised in international law.
Where the UK negotiates ISDS, in line with modern international best practice, it ensures the mechanism delivers fair outcomes of disputes, has independent arbitrators bound by high ethical standards, and that proceedings are transparent.