Socio-economic duty implementation

#2 —

Work and Pensions Committee

Recommendation: We welcome Connect to Work’s solid foundations in internationally recognised supported employment models grounded in person-centred, values-based approaches, that are widely regarded as an effective framework for supporting disabled people into sustainable employment. The programme’s scale, national coordination, and delivery …

Response Pending

#2 —

Human Rights (Joint Committee)

Recommendation: The broad definition of anti-social behaviour encompasses a wide range of unacceptable behaviour. While it may be well-established and understood by some authorities, its breadth and subjectivity allows for inconsistency in its application and risks sweeping up less serious matters …

Gov response: ASB can take many forms and can vary considerably depending on the context and locality in which it occurs. The powers in the 2014 Act are designed to deal with a wide range of ASB …

Accepted

#9 —

Health and Social Care Committee

Recommendation: We recommend that the Secretary of State’s duties in relation to health inequalities in clause 4 of the bill be strengthened and that all ministers should be under a duty to consider how policies they enact might contribute to or …

Response Pending

#4 —

Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee

Recommendation: Support from family, often called the bank of mum and dad, is a major part of the current housing market for first-time buyers. This entrenches inequality in the sector, with home ownership resembling an inherited characteristic: a young person’s chance …

Response Pending

#3 —

Culture, Media and Sport Committee

Recommendation: The cessation of community sport countrywide during lockdown has hit under- represented groups the hardest. While we welcome the announcement that some recreational sports teams can now resume play, we are concerned about gyms and leisure centres. These facilities act …

Gov response: to be active. It is important that leisure centres remain accessible for people from all backgrounds as we make efforts to return to normality after the Covid-19 lockdown period. Outdoor swimming pools have been able …

Under Consideration

#16 —

Treasury Committee

Recommendation: In order to prevent “levelling up” becoming an empty slogan, the Government should produce a strategy underpinning it that defines clear objectives and includes the indicators it will use to gauge success at the next fiscal event. The Government needs …

Gov response: With regards to your recommendation on levelling up, the government is committed to levelling up opportunity in every region and nation of the UK and levelling up represents a common priority across departments, both in …

Under Consideration

#10 — Examine government and UKRI efforts to enhance diversity and inclusion in STEM.

Science, Innovation and Technology Committee

Recommendation: Should our successor Committee wish to consider levels of diversity and inclusion in STEM, we recommend it considers: • Examining whether the trends in STEM education, particularly in subject uptake and attainment, as well as the delivery of STEM curriculum …

No Published Response

#30 — Amend Employment Rights Bill Clause 26 to define reproductive health support as advancing gender equality.

Women and Equalities Committee

Recommendation: Clause 26 of the Employment Rights Bill should be amended to make clear that supporting women with reproductive health conditions falls under the definition of advancing gender equality. (Paragraph 111) 77 Violence against women and girls

Gov response: Long-acting reversible contraception ( LARC ), as one of the most effective and cost-effective forms of contraception, plays a crucial role in supporting women’s reproductive health by: enabling women to make decisions on if and …

Under Consideration

#8 — Commission EHRC to review effectiveness of age discrimination protections in Equality Act.

Women and Equalities Committee

Recommendation: We recommend the Government commission and fund the Equality and Human Rights Commission to review the effectiveness of protections against age discrimination provided by the Equality Act and Public Sector Equality Duty in England, including but not limited to consideration …

Gov response: This government is clear on the importance of protections against age discrimination. The Equality Act 2010 contains strong protections for older people in a variety of settings, including work and the provision of services. As …

Not Accepted

#7 — Age discrimination law is ineffective, poorly enforced, and fails to protect older people.

Women and Equalities Committee

Recommendation: There is a wealth of evidence that age discrimination is highly prevalent in the UK and widely perceived as less serious and harmful than other forms of discrimination. Age discrimination law, in particular the allowance of objective justification of direct …

Gov response: This government is clear on the importance of protections against age discrimination. The Equality Act 2010 contains strong protections for older people in a variety of settings, including work and the provision of services. As …

Not Addressed

#21 — Ensure Fair Work Agency has powers and resources to investigate labour exploitation

Business and Trade Committee

Recommendation: The Government must ensure that the Fair Work Agency has the necessary powers to deter non-compliance. It must have the authority to investigate all forms of labour exploitation, up to and including modern slavery, and be adequately resourced to fulfil …

Gov response: The Fair Work Agency (FWA) will play a crucial role in combating serious labour exploitation. The FWA will inherit the full suite of investigatory and enforcement powers of the Gangmasters and Labour Abuse Authority (GLAA), …

Accepted

#20 — Creation of Fair Work Agency must not dilute existing enforcement powers

Business and Trade Committee

Recommendation: It is crucial that the creation of the Fair Work Agency does not result in a dilution of the powers currently held by the three existing enforcement bodies. (Conclusion, Paragraph 98)

Gov response: The Fair Work Agency (FWA) will play a crucial role in combating serious labour exploitation. The FWA will inherit the full suite of investigatory and enforcement powers of the Gangmasters and Labour Abuse Authority (GLAA), …

Accepted

#19 — Set out Fair Work Agency funding target to meet ILO inspector benchmark

Business and Trade Committee

Recommendation: The Committee welcomes the Government’s focus on labour market enforcement to tackle non-compliance. However, if the Fair Work Agency (FWA) is to be given new powers it will also need more resource. Efficiencies made from combining current budgets will not …

Gov response: The Government is committed to ensuring that labour market enforcement is as effective as possible by focusing on the right balance of resources, expertise, and strategic coordination. While inspector numbers are an important consideration, the …

Not Accepted

#18 — Effective labour market enforcement is crucial for strengthened worker rights and fair standards

Business and Trade Committee

Recommendation: Laws are only as effective as those who enforce them. If the Government wishes to ensure workers are given strengthened employment rights, and that all firms benefit from a level playing field for labour standards, effective labour market enforcement must …

Gov response: The Government is committed to ensuring that labour market enforcement is as effective as possible by focusing on the right balance of resources, expertise, and strategic coordination. While inspector numbers are an important consideration, the …

Not Addressed

#13 — Require transparency for recognition ballot spending and secure a long-term WERS replacement.

Business and Trade Committee

Recommendation: It is important that the impact of reform to industrial relations is both measurable and measured. We recommend that the Government bring transparency around industrial disputes in line with best practice elsewhere, including the United States, and requires parties involved …

Gov response: The Employment Rights Bill will simplify the process and the law around statutory recognition thresholds, so that working people have a more meaningful right to organise through trade unions. As part of that, we are …

Partially Accepted

#12 — Amend Trade Union Act sections to improve recognition ballot complaint and limitation periods.

Business and Trade Committee

Recommendation: Given that an expected consequence of the Employment Right Bill may be greater recognition ballot activity within workplaces, it is essential that ministers amend section 27B of Schedule 1A of the Trade Union and Labour Relations (Consolidation) Act 1992 to …

Gov response: The Employment Rights Bill will simplify the process and the law around statutory recognition thresholds, so that working people have a more meaningful right to organise through trade unions. As part of that, we are …

Partially Accepted

#11 — Expand the Bill's definition of 'Access' to explicitly include a union's right to digital access.

Business and Trade Committee

Recommendation: More should be done to ensure that the new right of union access proposed in the Bill is protected against future changes to ways of working and the risk of non-compliance. We recommend that the Bill’s proposed definition of ‘Access’ …

Gov response: The Government is committed to modernising working practices and moving away from a reliance on ad-hoc access arrangements. We recognise the importance of providing for a ‘digital’ right of access in addition to the physical …

Accepted

#10 — Develop a clear, long-term industrial relations strategy, credibly resourced and embedded through collaboration.

Business and Trade Committee

Recommendation: The Government’s framework for industrial relations provides strong principles that can help to shape a future settlement based on productive engagement between trade unions and employers. To develop this ambition, we recommend that the Government develops a clear and long- …

Gov response: The Government is committed to a new partnership approach of cooperation and negotiation that sees Government, employers and trade unions working together to tackle the challenges impacting on our economy. The Government wants to create …

Not Addressed

#9 — Task Acas with leading an information campaign to promote good employment practice compliance.

Business and Trade Committee

Recommendation: We recognise that there are a significant number of new employment rights that employers will need to understand and implement. We therefore call on the Government to consider how they use networks of employment support, both statutory and voluntary, to …

Gov response: The Government wants workers and employers to feel the benefit of these reforms as soon as they come into force, which will require high levels of awareness, understanding, and compliance. The Government is committed to …

Not Addressed

#8 — Revisit equality law enforcement regime, clarifying Fair Work Agency and EHRC roles to protect workers.

Business and Trade Committee

Recommendation: To ensure long-term enforcement of the new duties on employers introduced in the Employment Rights Bill, the Government should revisit the regime for enforcing equality law and harm against individual protected characteristics, including setting out how the Fair Work Agency …

Gov response: The Government agrees that effective enforcement will be crucial to achieving workplaces and working conditions free from harassment. The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) will retain its current responsibility to enforce the Equality Act …

Not Accepted

#7 — Publish plans to regulate the umbrella company market and tackle non-compliance.

Business and Trade Committee

Recommendation: While compliant umbrella companies can have many benefits to workers, there have been longstanding concerns across governments that the lack of regulation in the umbrella company market can lead to exploitative working practices. The evidence is overwhelming of the need …

Gov response: The Government agrees that timely action in the umbrella company market is imperative to protect the most vulnerable workers and has set out its plans to regulate umbrella companies in the response to the 2023 …

Accepted

#6 — Prioritise review of worker status and address false self-employment immediately.

Business and Trade Committee

Recommendation: While the Committee welcomes the Government’s plans to reform worker status and bogus self-employment, it must proceed at pace to turn ambition into action. If it does not, it risks more companies adopting a ‘self-employment’ model for their workforces to …

Gov response: The Government recognises that the UK’s current employment status framework is complex, and that this can cause difficulties for employers, workers, and the genuinely self-employed. This includes its contribution to the rise of so-called ‘bogus’ …

Not Addressed

#5 — Remove the 'minimum number of hours' reference from the Employment Rights Bill.

Business and Trade Committee

Recommendation: Defining what counts as low-hours creates a loophole that can be exploited by companies to avoid their obligations set out in the Bill. We echo Usdaw’s recommendation that the reference to ‘a minimum number of hours, not exceeding a specified …

Gov response: The Government has committed to tackle the issue of one-sided flexibility by introducing the new right to guaranteed hours. Our focus is on giving security and predictability of hours and income to those who do …

Not Accepted

#4 — Use delegated powers to enhance protections for agency workers through zero-hours contract reform.

Business and Trade Committee

Recommendation: The Committee therefore urges the Government to use the delegated powers provided by the Bill to reform zero-hours contracts to enhance protections for agency workers as soon as possible. These reforms 36 should not be at the expense of the …

Gov response: The Government believes that every worker should be able to access a contract which reflects hours they regularly work. This should extend to agency workers to offer them certainty of hours and security of income, …

Accepted

#3 — Long-term agency work impacts security and risks zero-hours contract side-stepping.

Business and Trade Committee

Recommendation: While the Committee understands that certain workers like the flexibility that comes with agency work and that it can be used as a legitimate short- term employment tool for many businesses, we are concerned about the impact long-term agency work …

Gov response: The Government believes that every worker should be able to access a contract which reflects hours they regularly work. This should extend to agency workers to offer them certainty of hours and security of income, …

Accepted

#2 — Embed definitions of 'reasonable notice' and 'moved' shifts into primary legislation.

Business and Trade Committee

Recommendation: While the Committee welcomes the added security for workers that the Bill brings with measures to provide reasonable notice of shifts and compensation for cancelled, moved or curtailed shifts. But the lack of key details on the face of the …

Gov response: The Bill requires employers to notify workers of their shifts and changes to these within a reasonable timeframe, as well as to provide workers with payment for cancelling, curtailing or moving their shift at short …

Partially Accepted

#1 — Define reference periods for the right to guaranteed hours in regulations.

Business and Trade Committee

Recommendation: Without a reference period defined in primary legislation, there is a lack of certainty among workers, trade unions and businesses as to how the right to guaranteed hours will work in practice. To ensure certainty, the Government should define as …

Gov response: The Government appreciates the need for certainty and intends to provide clarity on the length of initial and subsequent reference periods for the right to guaranteed hours. To help set expectations for both workers and …

Accepted

#121 — Challenge businesses and local government to support financial inclusion for cash-reliant disabled people.

Treasury Committee

Recommendation: The Department for Business and Trade, the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government and HM Treasury must work together to challenge businesses and local government to set out how they are supporting financial inclusion, particularly for people who rely …

Gov response: The Government agrees that it is important for businesses and local government to support financial inclusion, and they must uphold any legal obligations they have. It is for individual businesses to decide which methods of …

Accepted

#13 — Require Government to implement bold Child Poverty Strategy to significantly reduce children's financial hardship.

Education Committee

Recommendation: We urge the Government to be bold in its upcoming Child Poverty Strategy and take wide-ranging action to reverse this trend and significantly reduce the number of children growing up in financial hardship. (Recommendation, Paragraph 29)

Gov response: Secretary of State for Education. This strategy, to be published in the autumn, will address the structural and root causes of child poverty. In the meantime, we are already taking substantive action across the key …

Under Consideration

#1 — Significant disparities in public transport connectivity exist across UK communities.

Transport Committee

Recommendation: In larger cities like London, getting from A to B can be as simple as turning up and boarding. In many smaller towns and rural areas, however, whole communities can be cut off with no service at all, or have …

Gov response: The Government recognises the committee’s ambition and vision, and notes that there are potential benefits for passengers of a standardised approach to public transport service levels. We want to see a better standard of public …

Under Consideration

#2 — Develop a comprehensive plan to increase cadet numbers, ensuring diversity, volunteer support, and safeguarding.

Public Accounts Committee

Recommendation: The government’s plans to increase the number of cadets by 30% by 2030 face several significant barriers. There are potentially great benefits for young people in expanding the cadet forces, which will mean increasing both the size and number of …

Gov response: The government agrees with the Committee’s recommendation. volunteers by Cadet Force, gender, and age. Defence Statistics produce data on numbers of units and regional breakdowns. The joint MOD/Department of Education (DfE) Cadet Expansion Project provides …

Accepted

#31 — Local tailoring of employment services is welcome, but requires balance with national consistency.

Work and Pensions Committee

Recommendation: We welcome the Government’s commitment to develop a locally tailored and embedded service. Local areas are best placed to understand the needs of their population and labour markets. Jobcentres need to be aware of the different local needs of people …

Gov response: We welcome the Government’s commitment to develop a locally tailored and embedded service. Local areas are best placed to understand the needs of their population and labour markets. Jobcentres need to be aware of the …

Not Addressed

#30 — Reduce visibility of security guards in Jobcentres, ensuring a more welcoming entry experience.

Work and Pensions Committee

Recommendation: Jobseekers are not criminals and shouldn’t be greeted at Jobcentres by security guards. DWP should make security guards much less visible in Jobcentres, with a more welcoming presence when people enter. (Recommendation, Paragraph 133)

Gov response: Partially accept DWP recognises the importance of a supportive and welcoming environment for our customers, however we also need to strike the right balance to ensure safety for customers and colleagues. This approach does not …

Partially Accepted

#29 — Develop a comprehensive plan to ensure every Jobcentre meets full accessibility requirements immediately.

Work and Pensions Committee

Recommendation: It is not acceptable that some Jobcentres remain inaccessible to some of the people who most need their support. In its response, DWP should set out its plan for ensuring that every Jobcentre meets full accessibility requirements. (Recommendation, Paragraph 132)

Gov response: Partially accept Our current network of Jobcentres is compliant with accessibility legislation. We recognise that our customers have different accessibility and support needs. Accessibility and inclusion are core drivers of any changes that are planned. …

Accepted

#28 — Detail plans for revitalising the Jobcentre estate, ensuring adaptability and co-location of services.

Work and Pensions Committee

Recommendation: In its response to this report, DWP should set out how it will use its increased capital funds to revitalise the Jobcentre estate. DWP needs to make more of its Jobcentre spaces and it should make sure that the physical …

Gov response: Accept Through capital investment, DWP is committed to transforming our Jobcentre spaces so that our physical infrastructure is adaptable and responsive to the needs of our customers, colleagues, and local and national partners. The Workplace …

Accepted

#27 — Jobcentre environments often lack accessibility and welcome, undermining efforts to support claimants.

Work and Pensions Committee

Recommendation: Jobcentres are not places that people want to go to. They are often run-down and lack basic facilities, including accessibility features. An intimidating security presence can create additional barriers for some. It will be important that when people walk through …

Gov response: Accept Through capital investment, DWP is committed to transforming our Jobcentre spaces so that our physical infrastructure is adaptable and responsive to the needs of our customers, colleagues, and local and national partners. The Workplace …

Accepted

#26 — Introduce Jobcentre outreach work as a core service, taking support into local communities.

Work and Pensions Committee

Recommendation: DWP needs to break Jobcentres out of their four walls. It should make outreach work, with staff taking Jobcentre services into the community and to locations that people trust, a core part of the new service. DWP should include larger-scale …

Gov response: Accept DWP recognises the value of working collaboratively within communities, operating from a range of locations, to deliver timely, tailored support to customers. We are developing and testing a Flexible Delivery Network model to address …

Accepted

#24 — Jobcentres require deeper integration with voluntary and community sectors to address complex employment barriers.

Work and Pensions Committee

Recommendation: Many people who use Jobcentres have multiple and complex needs, which can act as barriers to them securing employment. Too often, issues that prevent people from finding jobs go unaddressed. Jobcentres and Jobcentre staff will not be able to address …

Gov response: Partially accept DWP recognises the invaluable part played by the voluntary and community sector in supporting customers alongside DWP and agrees that forming a more coherent view of the current position is useful. As part …

Partially Accepted

#21 — Any job' approach has alienated employers and undermined Jobcentre engagement efforts.

Work and Pensions Committee

Recommendation: The ‘any job’ approach has not just been detrimental to claimants: it has also led employers to stop engaging with Jobcentres. Employers will use Jobcentres if it helps them find good employees, but their experience of Jobcentre candidates is often …

Gov response: Do not accept The period in which claimants may limit their jobsearch to their chosen field is known as the permitted period and is used in specific circumstances. This is in place to ensure that …

Not Accepted

#20 — Add long-term employment and job quality metrics to Jobcentre performance framework and incentivise providers.

Work and Pensions Committee

Recommendation: To encourage Jobcentres to adopt longer-term thinking, DWP should add long-term employment metrics to its Jobcentre performance monitoring framework, such as whether people are still in work six or twelve months after leaving Jobcentres. DWP should also introduce metrics that …

Gov response: Partially accept We recognise the importance of long-term employment outcomes and job quality to our claimants. Our Jobcentre Performance Framework is aligned with departmental priorities and Get Britain Working outcomes, supporting a focus on meaningful …

Partially Accepted

#19 — Jobcentres prioritise short-term off-flows instead of sustainable, good-quality employment for claimants.

Work and Pensions Committee

Recommendation: We welcome the Government’s focus on ‘good work’. Currently, Jobcentres too often prioritise short-term measures, such as benefit off-flow, rather than whether claimants enter good-quality, sustainable employment. Good jobs are better for citizens, employers and the state, while supporting a …

Gov response: DWP recognises the importance of a supportive and welcoming environment for our customers, however we also need to strike the right balance to ensure safety for customers and colleagues. This approach does not remove our …

Partially Accepted

#16 — Previous 'ABC' employment support approach has failed to deliver sustainable work or good outcomes.

Work and Pensions Committee

Recommendation: The previous Government’s ‘ABC’ approach to employment support (any job, better job, career) has not worked. While it may move people off benefits in the short-term, it all too often does not lead to long-term, sustainable employment and exacerbates the …

Gov response: DWP recognises the value of working collaboratively within communities, operating from a range of locations, to deliver timely, tailored support to customers. We are developing and testing a Flexible Delivery Network model to address economic …

Accepted

#7 — Develop a new approach to benefit sanctions, incorporating trauma-informed decisions and updated research.

Work and Pensions Committee

Recommendation: Sanctions risk undermining the work of Jobcentres and acting against the Government’s employment goals. DWP must develop a new approach to the use of sanctions. It should consider: • adopting a trauma-informed approach to sanctioning decisions; • issuing warnings rather …

Gov response: The Jobs and Careers digital service will deliver a modern, joined-up employment and careers service – digital where possible, human when needed – that helps people find better work, employers fill vacancies, and staff focus …

Accepted

#6 — Current application of benefit sanctions is ineffective and damages trust in Jobcentres.

Work and Pensions Committee

Recommendation: Sanctions are the sharp end of benefit conditionality. DWP’s own evidence shows that sanctions don’t work, causing people to move more slowly into work and to earn less. While sanctions have a place in the benefits system, there is clear …

Gov response: The department recognises the importance of tailoring employment support to the needs of different groups. To date, we have developed patterns of support which target certain groups with specific needs, such as customers with health …

Accepted

#3 — Introduce an employment support guarantee detailing personalised support from new jobs service.

Work and Pensions Committee

Recommendation: To demonstrate the Government’s commitment to supporting rather than coercing people into employment, it should introduce an employment support guarantee that sets out the personalised support and advice people can expect to receive from the new jobs and careers service. …

Gov response: As part of our reforms to develop a new Jobs and Careers Service, we will focus on providing genuine support for people, rather than primarily monitoring compliance and benefits administration. As part of the Pathfinder, …

Partially Accepted

#2 — Publicly consult on claimant commitment changes, replacing blanket requirements with personalised action plans.

Work and Pensions Committee

Recommendation: Instead of an internal review, DWP should publicly consult on changes to the claimant commitment. DWP should consider removing blanket requirements, such as the 35-hour job search requirement, and replacing them with a personalised action plan that is co-developed between …

Gov response: The new Jobs and Careers Service will provide personalised employment support, including increasing the emphasis on employment, skills, and careers support, and helping people into sustainable employment. This includes strengthening links across the employment and …

Partially Accepted

#18 — Establish principles for a just industrial transition drawing on lessons from the Grangemouth case.

Scottish Affairs Committee

Recommendation: In its response to this report, the Government should outline what has been learned from this case and what can be done to ensure that comparable industrial transitions will be better managed in future. Having consulted trade unions and communities …

Gov response: The government agrees with this recommendation. We agree that lessons should be learned from Grangemouth to manage the impacts of industrial transitions on workers and communities. The UK government recognises the economic opportunity that the …

Accepted

#17 — Grangemouth case highlights government inaction on preparing for industrial job losses.

Scottish Affairs Committee

Recommendation: The Grangemouth case is the energy transition’s canary in a coalmine. It has illustrated the need for Government’s active stewardship in the energy transition. Petroineos advised the Committee that the UK and Scottish governments were aware of its plans to …

Gov response: We agree with the Scottish Affairs Committee’s conclusions on preparation for Grangemouth. Petroineos’ first made its intention to cease refining operations public in November 2023 ahead of the company confirming this position in September 2024. …

Accepted

#16 — Conduct a communications campaign informing oil and gas workers about energy transition job opportunities.

Scottish Affairs Committee

Recommendation: As part of its North Sea transition plan, we recommend that the Government conduct a communications campaign about the scale of the energy transition and the employment opportunities available, directed at both oil and gas workers and new entrants to …

Gov response: The government agrees with this recommendation. As set out in the response to conclusion 15, the Department is working with industry to leading a UK-wide industry-led awareness and attraction campaign on clean energy job and …

Accepted

#15 — Ensure clear communication campaigns for oil and gas workers on energy transition job opportunities.

Scottish Affairs Committee

Recommendation: There has been a failure of communication from consecutive governments to oil and gas workers about the transition and what they need to do to prepare and benefit from it. Government action is required to ensure the visibility and promotion …

Gov response: In the Clean Energy Jobs Plan, we set out how awareness of clean energy jobs is a key barrier to achieving our Clean Energy Superpower Mission. Energy & Utility Skills, with support from the Department …

Accepted