Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department has received reports of (a) under‑18s, (b) individuals without a driving licence and (c) individuals without valid immigration status being engaged as couriers by (i) Evri and (ii) its subcontractors.

All employers are required to undertake right to work checks on any prospective employee to confirm their legal status.

Clamping down on illegal working is a critical part of this government’s work to restore fairness, order and control within the immigration and asylum system. This includes measures in the Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Act to ensure companies who utilise flexible worker models, as seen in the warehouse and delivery sector, are required to conduct right to work checks to prevent illegal working when they contract workers to provide services under their company name. This will include agency workers or self-employed individuals working in the gig economy.

These new legislative measures will restrict the ability of employers to take advantage of illegal workers and encourage businesses to provide work opportunities to only those permitted to work in the UK. It will provide parity across industries and will set a level playing field for businesses to uphold their responsibilities to prevent illegal working in the UK.

A consultation on how to implement these measures has been conducted, the response to which will be published in due course.

In addition to the extended right to work scheme, and as already announced, digital right to work checks will be mandatory by the end of Parliament, making them easier and cheaper for businesses to do.