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

To ask Her Majesty's Government whether employers can pro-rate company premiums for private medical cover for short-term employees; if so, by how much; and whether employers can pro-rate other benefits such as holiday pay.

Fixed-term employees must not be treated less favourably than a comparable permanent member of staff without an objective justification. Beyond this protection, the terms and conditions of employment, except where they are subject to statutory minimum standards such as the national minimum wage, are a contractual matter for negotiation and agreement between employers and employees (or their representatives). Provided they do not discriminate unlawfully, for example on grounds of race, sex or disability, employers are free to offer the terms and conditions of employment which best suit their business needs.