Clothing: Manufacturing Industries

(asked on 13th June 2022) - View Source

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps he is taking to tackle poor working conditions and practices in the garment industry in (a) Leicester and (b) the UK.


Answered by
Paul Scully Portrait
Paul Scully
This question was answered on 21st June 2022

The Government launched Operation Tacit to address allegations of widespread non-compliance in the Leicester garment sector. Since June 2020, HMRC have considered the National Minimum Wage (NMW) risks associated with more than 500 Leicester textiles businesses as part of Operation Tacit.

HMRC have also taken part in more than 360 visits to businesses providing advice and support to employers and workers on NMW obligations and rights, and taking enforcement action where concerns have been identified. Based on HMRC's extensive, on the ground experience, their findings are that the NMW risks in the Leicester textile industry are in line with the rest of the UK manufacturing sector.

We continue to encourage anyone with information to come forward.

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