Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of assurance mechanisms operated by local authorities on the employment practices of contracted-out staff.

Local government matters are devolved and therefore it is for individual councils to make their own decisions about how their local workforces are organised and monitored. In doing so, we expect councils to take into account their duties and responsibilities as employers under employment law and other relevant legislation; and to undertake due diligence on the employment practices of staff whom they have contracted out.

Suppliers must comply with all applicable human rights and employment laws in the jurisdictions in which they work and have robust means of ensuring that the subcontractors in their supply chain also comply. This includes complying with the provisions of the Modern Slavery Act 2015 (see Government’s own supplier code of conduct at: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/323930/CM8888_Web_200614.pdf )

Business Energy and Industrial Strategy is the lead department for national employment legislation that local authority employers, along with UK employers, should follow.