Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, with reference to the Office for National Statics data entitled People in Employment on Zero Hours contracts published on 15 November 2022, what assessment he has made of the reasons for the rise in the number of people recorded as looking for an additional job between April-June 2022 and July-September 2022.

Zero hours contracts are a small but important part of the UK’s flexible labour market. This Government is committed to putting more power into the hands of individuals and businesses to find and create work that suits their personal circumstances.

The Government has widened the ban on exclusivity clauses, to contracts where the guaranteed weekly income is equivalent to or below the Lower Earnings Limit of £123 a week. The reforms ensure that workers in this group that have exclusivity clauses can top up their income with extra work if they choose.