Source · Select Committees · Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee
Recommendation 8
8
Deferred
We also recommend that the Government reviews the timeliness of the data it relies on...
Recommendation
We also recommend that the Government reviews the timeliness of the data it relies on and, in any reply to this Report, sets out what datasets it uses to monitor the sector, how regularly these are updated, and the time lag between the period covered by the data and data being received and examined by the Department. (Paragraph 38) Broader immigration policy
Government response summary AI-generated
The government intends to commission the MAC to review the SOL again later this year, so any changes to it can be based on the latest available evidence, encouraging the sector to engage with the MAC on this review.
Summary of the government's response below — read the verbatim text to verify.
Government Response
Deferred
HM Government · verbatim extract
Deferred
Defra monitors a range of data and intelligence sources to understand the labour market in the food and farming sector, including using quantitative and qualitative data from both Government and industry sources. Given the importance of seasonal labour in horticulture for bringing in the harvest, Defra monitors labour market data in this sector especially closely, working with the operators of the Seasonal Worker visa route to understand the number of seasonal workers in the UK. However, we are aware of limitations with existing datasets on the wider food and farming workforce. In particular, many available datasets are aggregate in nature, making it difficult to be conclusive about the exact level of vacancies in some agricultural sectors. Defra will continue to take steps to improve its data collection and ensure that the clearest possible picture of the food and farming workforce is available to inform decision making.
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