Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether his Department is taking steps in response to breaches of the Working Time Regulations 1998 by employers, with specific reference to the live events and media production industry.

The Working Time Regulations 1998 set out rights for workers and employer obligations on working time, including maximum weekly working time, limits on night work, rest periods and paid annual leave. They apply across sectors, including the live events and media production industry.

The Department for Business and Trade (DBT) has overall policy responsibility for the Working Time Regulations. However, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) enforces certain working time requirements, including maximum weekly working time; night work limits; health assessments for night workers; work patterns; compensatory rest in specified circumstances; and record keeping.

Other entitlements, including time off, rest break entitlements and paid annual leave, are not enforced by HSE and are matters for Employment Tribunals.

Local Authorities are responsible for enforcing relevant working time requirements in premises where they are the enforcing authority as set out in the Health and Safety (Enforcing Authority) Regulations 1998.

Where a Local Authority is the enforcing authority, relevant working time concerns should be reported to that authority. Where HSE is the enforcing authority, concerns can be reported through HSE’s website: Tell us about a health and safety issue - Contact HSE.

HSE assesses all concerns relating to potential breaches of working time requirements in premises where it has enforcement authority. HSE will take enforcement action where appropriate in accordance with its Enforcement Management Model (HSE - The Enforcement Management Model), which supports consistent, proportionate decisions on whether enforcement action is appropriate and what form it should take.