ACAS - All Types

Written Question

Waste Disposal: Birmingham

Tuesday 6th May 2025

Asked by: Wendy Morton (Conservative - Aldridge-Brownhills)

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many meetings her Department had with Unite between 11 March 2025 and when she decided to use the armed forces to help with waste collection in Birmingham.

Answered by Jim McMahon - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The Secretary of State has engaged with Unite and Birmingham City Council to encourage them to get back around the negotiating table. She has not met with ACAS and the Department has not met with Unite. Any talks to settle the equal pay dispute are solely between the employer (Birmingham City Council) and trade union (Unite).

The decision to allow a small number of military personnel to provide office based operational planning expertise for a short, time limited period to support the council with making sure its response to the ongoing public health risk is as swift as possible was taken in the first week of the major incident, and they were able to add value in that time which was appreciated by the council and the Department.

Written Question

Maternity Leave

Monday 13th January 2025

Asked by: Mims Davies (Conservative - East Grinstead and Uckfield)

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what role the Fair Work Agency will play in ensuring businesses observe best practice when granting their employees maternity leave.

Answered by Justin Madders - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)

We are creating the Fair Work Agency to deliver a much-needed upgrade to enforcement of workers’ rights.

The Fair Work Agency will work closely with the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service (ACAS), which already provides guidance for both employers and workers in these specific areas, to deliver appropriate support to the majority of businesses who want to comply with the law.

Written Question

Paternity Leave

Monday 13th January 2025

Asked by: Mims Davies (Conservative - East Grinstead and Uckfield)

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what the role of the Fair Work Agency will be in helping to ensure businesses observe best practice in granting paternity leave.

Answered by Justin Madders - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)

We are creating the Fair Work Agency to deliver a much-needed upgrade to enforcement of workers’ rights.