Recommendation 7

According to statistics, the enforcement of Statutory Sick Pay through HMRC appears to be reasonably effective. However, there is evidence which suggests that some workers are either too afraid to ask for SSP or not aware of their entitlement, indicating that the enforcement statistics do not tell the whole story. We are disappointed that the Minister could not provide us with details of the Government’s awareness-raising work. The Government should set out what it is doing, and what else it plans to do, to raise awareness of entitlement to Statutory Sick Pay among employers and employees, and explain how it plans to measure its progress in this area.