Select committee: Business, Innovation, Science and Trade Committee
Recommendation 40
Tenth Report - Post-pandemic economic growth: UK labour markets
Published 21 Apr 2023
Paragraph 214
Addressed to Department for Business and Trade
Business, Innovation, Science and Trade Committee Post-pandemic economic growth: UK labour markets All items in this report Report on parliament.uk ↗ Inquiry on parliament.uk ↗
Recommendation (the committee's words)
We recommend that Government departments, and the wider public sector, lead from the front on the returnership initiative. Offering returnerships in the Civil Service, in the NHS and in education, for example, will give the private sector confidence that it is a successful model worth the financial investment.
From: Business, Innovation, Science and Trade Committee, Tenth Report - Post-pandemic economic growth: UK labour markets (HC 306), paragraph 214, 21 April 2023
Government response
The government responded to the whole report on 20 July 2023 (deadline 21 June 2023).
Summary written by Accountability Index from the government's response. It is not the government's own words.The government welcomes the report and points to a strong labour market, accepting little of the structural change recommended: it "do[es] not feel it necessary to further alter the machinery of Government" and "does not agree with the Committee's characterisation of enforcement".
- On a Ministry of Labour and related structures, it says the existing arrangements will drive effective policy, so it does "not feel it necessary to further alter the machinery of Government".
- On workplace technology, it "does not believe excessive restrictions on the use of technology are appropriate", nor that the Data Protection and Digital Information Bill is the appropriate vehicle for the Committee's wider proposals.
- On a single enforcement body, it says it must be "realistic about what we can achieve given the limits on parliamentary time" and is "reviewing what this means" for its creation.
- On a menopause leave pilot, it "does not believe that introducing or piloting a specific policy for menopause leave is necessary". On the Lifelong Loan Entitlement, it will deliver from academic year 2025/26 but says only that it "can share findings one year after it's commencement".