Source · Select Committees · Business and Trade Committee
Tenth Report - Post-pandemic economic growth: UK labour markets
Business and Trade Committee
HC 306
Published 21 April 2023
Recommendations
20
Rejected
Para 127
Set out Government plans for statutory protection against unscrupulous umbrella company practices
Recommendation
The actions of unscrupulous umbrella companies are depriving workers of rights and in some cases remuneration, and they are damaging the reputation of umbrella companies as a whole. There is widespread agreement that the Government should act to provide statutory …
Read more
Government Response Summary
The government rejects the committee's characterisation of enforcement, stating it does not agree and detailing existing HMRC minimum wage investigations and increased investment in enforcement bodies, arguing that the UK already has a robust system for enforcing employment rights.
Department for Business and Trade
View Details →
30
Rejected
Para 161
Amend the Bill to ensure committee examination of retained EU work and employment law regulations.
Recommendation
We recommend that the Bill should be amended to ensure that within a given timeframe a committee also examines any regulations which are part of retained EU law and which govern UK law relating to work, including workplace standards and …
Read more
Government Response Summary
The government has replaced the sunset clause in the Retained EU Law Bill with a list of specific revocations and intends to retain powers to amend more complex regulations after its own assessment and consultation, without committing to the recommended amendment for committee examination.
Department for Business and Trade
View Details →
Conclusions (1)
1
Conclusion
Rejected
Ministerial responsibility for labour market policy is fragmented across Whitehall departments. We therefore call on the Government to consider the following: a) establish a Ministry of Labour b) appoint a new Minister of State for Labour in the Cabinet Office with the authority to convene and coordinate labour market policy …
Government Response Summary
The government rejects the recommendation, stating that new departmental structures established in February 2023 (including the Department for Business and Trade) are considered effective for labour market policy and delivery. It explicitly states it does not feel it necessary to further alter the machinery of government.