Source · Select Committees · Business and Trade Committee
Recommendation 16
16
Deferred
Paragraph: 108
Government invited to confirm Shared Parental Leave scheme evaluation status and future take-up plans.
Conclusion
We invite the Government to confirm whether any evaluation of the Shared Parental Leave scheme is still active, and to set out what plans it has to increase take-up.
Government Response Summary
The government's response details a call for evidence and subsequent consultation on regulating umbrella companies to address non-compliance, entirely unrelated to the Shared Parental Leave scheme.
Paragraph Reference:
108
Government Response
Deferred
HM Government
Deferred
currently defined in law and are generally unregulated, unless their other activities bring them in scope of the existing legislation that applies specifically to employment agencies and employment businesses. The Government is committed to increasing transparency and protection for agency workers, including those employed by an umbrella company. It therefore carried out a Call for Evidence on the umbrella company market between November 2021 and February 2022 to gather evidence to inform development of potential policy responses. The Financial Secretary to the Treasury issued a written ministerial statement on Tax Administration and Maintenance (TAM) Day on 27 April 2023 setting out that the Government would shortly publish a summary of responses to the 2021 Call for Evidence alongside a policy consultation on options to regulate umbrella companies and to tackle non-compliance in the umbrella company market. The full statement is available here- https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-statements/detail/2023–04–27/ hcws749. On 6 June 2023, the government published the response to the Call for Evidence and the policy consultation. They are both available on gov.uk at the following links: https:// www.gov.uk/government/consultations/call-for-evidence-umbrella-company-market and https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/tackling-non-compliance-in-the- umbrella-company-market. Minister Hollinrake also wrote to the chair of the Business and Trade Committee to draw their attention to the consultation given the parliamentary interest in this topic. 16 Post-pandemic economic growth: UK labour markets: Government Response The consultation (which will remain open until 29 August) proposes options to regulate umbrella companies and tackle tax non-compliance. The options put forward aim to address the issues that workers reported (including through the Call for Evidence), ensure a level playing field by making sure competition in the market is genuine and protect taxpayers and the exchequer.