Source · Select Committees · Business and Trade Committee
Recommendation 31
31
Deferred
Mandate government presentation of notices and drafts to committees for scrutiny of retained EU law.
Recommendation
To facilitate this scrutiny the Bill should ensure that the Government must present to the committee a notice of any provision which it intends should expire, together with a memorandum of its reasons and an impact assessment in time to allow consideration before sunset. Where the Government intends to incorporate a provision into UK domestic law under the affirmative procedure it should present a draft of the proposed instrument to the committee, together with a memorandum of its reasons for any decision to adapt or amend the regulations and/or for any decision by the Government not to preserve any element of them. In each case that committee should: • provide the Government with an opportunity to give such further explanations of its proposal as the committee may require, except where the committee does not consider it reasonably practicable to do so within the statutory timeframe; • report on the notice or draft instrument and accompanying papers, drawing to the attention of the House any observations or concerns arising from its consideration of such documents; and • have the power to recommend any notice or draft instrument for debate on the floor of the House: if rejecting this recommendation, the Government should be required to make a statement explaining its reasons. The Government must ensure that the flow of notices and proposed instruments to any relevant committee is controlled and consistent, so that the committee has a reasonable opportunity for effective examination of each proposal within the statutory timeframe. (Paragraph 162) 70 Post-pandemic economic growth: UK labour markets The impact of an ageing population on the labour market
Government response summary AI-generated
The government's response details DWP projects on updating labour market evidence, moving Jobcentre services online, and initiatives for older workers and menopause employment, but entirely fails to address the committee's specific recommendations regarding the scrutiny process and reporting requirements for the Retained EU Law Bill.
Summary of the government's response below — read the verbatim text to verify.
Government Response
Deferred
HM Government · verbatim extract
Deferred
The Government introduced the Retained EU Law (REUL) Bill so that we could end the special status of retained EU law. The Government tabled an amendment at Lords Report stage of the Bill, which replaces the current sunset in the Bill with a list of the retained EU laws that we intend to revoke at the end of 2023. This provides certainty by making it clear which regulations will be removed from the statue book. We will retain the vitally important powers in the Bill that allow us to continue to amend EU laws, so more complex regulation can still be revoked or reformed after proper assessment and consultation. retained EU employment law following our exit from the EU, including the Working Time Regulations and Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment), or ‘TUPE’, Regulations. We are consulting on proposals to reduce time-consuming reporting requirements under the Working Time Regulations, which could save employers around £1bn a year. We are also consulting on simplifying annual leave and holiday pay calculations in the Working Time Regulations, and streamlining regulations that apply when a business transfers to a new owner. These proposals do not seek to remove rights, but instead remove unnecessary bureaucracy in the way those rights operate, allowing business to benefit from the additional freedoms we have through Brexit. The Government has been clear throughout the Brexit process that we have no intention of reducing the substantive legal protections for workers. 22 Post-pandemic economic growth: UK labour markets: Government Response To make good on this promise, we have also made clear in the consultation the areas of employment law where the Government will not make any changes, including the system of maternity, paternity, adoption, or parental leave.
Read the full response on Parliament ↗