Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of employment protections for individuals engaged on zero-hour contracts.

The Government does not believe that individuals engaged on zero-hours contracts currently benefit from sufficient employment protections.

The Government is addressing this through the Employment Rights Bill, by ensuring that employers have to offer qualifying workers guaranteed hours. The Bill will also require employers to offer shifts with reasonable notice and make cancellation payments if they cancel, move or curtail shifts at short notice.

This Government is introducing other landmark reforms in the Employment Rights Bill, including day one protection from unfair dismissal, better protection from sexual harassment and improved Statutory Sick Pay.