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100004

	registered interest
	date	20/10/2014
	answering body	Department for Business, Innovation and Skills
	answering dept id	26
	answering dept short name	Business, Innovation and Skills
	answering dept sort name	Business, Innovation and Skills
	hansard heading	Unpaid Work
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their assessment of the recent proposal by the Child Poverty and Social Justice Commission that unpaid internships should be illegal.
	tabling member printed	Baroness Berridge
	uin	HL2219
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 29/10/2014 answer text <p>This Government is absolutely clear: exploitation of interns is unacceptable and we don’t hesitate to act where we find that employment law has been broken and someone who is entitled to the minimum wage hasn’t been paid it.</p><p> </p><p>Complaints from interns about non-payment of the minimum wage are prioritised by HMRC for investigation and HMRC will investigate every complaint made to the Pay and Work Rights Helpline.</p><p> </p><p>Research shows that internships and work experience programmes can be valuable opportunities for young people taking their first steps in the labour market. Our work on interns and the National Minimum Wage aims to achieve the right balance between ensuring that opportunities for young people are not cut off and minimising the risk of exploitation.</p><p> </p><p>Our concern, if we were to prohibit unpaid internships, is that this may lead to employers recruiting interns through informal and privileged networks with adverse effects on social mobility or have adverse consequences on the number of available opportunities.</p><p> </p><p>There is no definition of an internship in minimum wage legislation and interns are considered in the same way as everyone else with regards to whether the minimum wage is due. The key issue is whether or not they are workers as defined by minimum wage legislation. If they are, then they are eligible for the minimum wage unless a specific exemption applies. Volunteers are not workers and are not eligible for the minimum wage.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member printed Baroness Neville-Rolfe question first answered 29/10/2014 16:15:22 answering member 4284 label Biography information for Baroness Neville-Rolfe
	tabling member	4218 label Biography information for Baroness Berridge

170270

	registered interest
	date	15/12/2014
	answering body	Department for Business, Innovation and Skills
	answering dept id	26
	answering dept short name	Business, Innovation and Skills
	answering dept sort name	Business, Innovation and Skills
	hansard heading	Unpaid Work
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have to encourage and support the remuneration of internships.
	tabling member printed	Lord Storey
	uin	HL3766
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/12/2014 answer text <p>The term “intern” is not defined in any legislation: entitlement to the minimum wage depends on whether or not an individual is a worker. If an internship meets the legal definition of a worker, then they must be paid at least the minimum wage from the start. Given the dependency on employment status, it is vital that employers and workers understand how this is determined.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Last November, the Minister for Employment Relations launched a series of posters and an information video alongside 200 letters to employers to increase awareness of employers and interns rights and responsibilities in relation to the National Minimum Wage. This was followed by a Facebook campaign. The Facebook messages reached 160,000 young people and HMRC are currently evaluating the impact of the letters sent to employers.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>In addition, complaints from interns about non-payment of the minimum wage are prioritised by HMRC for investigation and HMRC will investigate every complaint made to the Pay and Work Rights Helpline. Any worker who believes that they are being paid below the minimum wage should call the helpline on 0800 917 2368.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Determining an individual’s employment status can be complicated; this is why the Business Secretary announced a review of employment status in October this year, to help ensure an employment status framework in the UK that meets the needs of everyone. This is an internal review and will present findings to ministers early next year.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member printed Lord Wallace of Saltaire question first answered 23/12/2014 12:48:32 answering member 1816 label Biography information for Lord Wallace of Saltaire
	tabling member	4238 label Biography information for Lord Storey

175901

	registered interest
	date	27/01/2015
	answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
	answering dept id	29
	answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
	answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
	hansard heading	Unpaid Work
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government what action they are taking to promote equal access to intern opportunities for all; and how many disabled people have received help from the Access to Work Fund in order to participate fully in internship programmes.
	tabling member printed	Lord Allen of Kensington
	uin	HL4481
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 10/02/2015 answer text <p /> <p>Her Majesty’s Government promote equal access to intern opportunities through a series of communications strands such as:</p><p> </p><p>· The rising awareness of Disability Confident Britain and it’s media profile will help increase awareness of the Access to Work (AtW) support available;</p><p>· Continually improving and developing Advisory knowledge and skills in supporting Disabled People into work and remaining in work, and;</p><p>· Marketing the Jobcentre Plus offer directly to employers and other organisations and institutions.</p><p> </p><p>Moreover, Access to Work gives practical support and help to meet additional costs to overcome barriers. AtW can usually support people only in paid internships, however we have extended Access to Work to cover the Supported internships scheme for young people with special educational needs and for young people undertaking Traineeships. DWP does not have a robust means of reporting programme volumes for internships.</p> answering member printed Lord Freud question first answered 10/02/2015 17:36:41 answering member 3893 label Biography information for Lord Freud
	tabling member	4304 label Biography information for Lord Allen of Kensington

388477

	registered interest
	date	08/07/2015
	answering body	Department for Business, Innovation and Skills
	answering dept id	26
	answering dept short name	Business, Innovation and Skills
	answering dept sort name	Business, Innovation and Skills
	hansard heading	Unpaid Work
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government (1) whether they will list the categories of employed people who are not remunerated, including Ministers, who are exempted from the provisions of the minimum wage legislation, and (2) whether unpaid Ministers will qualify for the proposed living wage.
	tabling member printed	Lord Jopling
	uin	HL1252
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/07/2015 answer text <p>Certain exemptions to qualification to the National Minimum Wage apply through Part 6 (Exclusions) of the National Minimum Wage Regulations 2015[1]. The noble Lord will find a list of those exempted from the National Minimum Wage Act 1998 on the Gov.uk webpage <a href="https://www.gov.uk/national-minimum-wage/who-gets-the-minimum-wage" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/national-minimum-wage/who-gets-the-minimum-wage</a>.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Ministers are generally classified as ‘office holders’ who are neither workers nor employees, except where the individual also holds an employment contract with the same company or organisation that meets the criteria for <a href="https://www.gov.uk/employment-status/employee" target="_blank">employees</a>. Where a Minister meets this criteria and is classed as a worker under the National Minimum Wage Act 1998 (<a href="https://www.gov.uk/employment-status/worker" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/employment-status/worker</a>), they will be entitled to the National Minimum Wage and the new National Living Wage once implemented in April 2016.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>[1] http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukdsi/2015/9780111127964/pdfs/ukdsi_9780111127964_en.pdf</p><p> </p> answering member printed Baroness Neville-Rolfe attachment 1 file name National minimum wage.PDF.docx title National Minimum Wage 2 file name Employment status.pdf.docx title Employment Status question first answered 22/07/2015 16:35:41 answering member 4284 label Biography information for Baroness Neville-Rolfe
	tabling member	883 label Biography information for Lord Jopling

902279

	registered interest
	date	11/05/2018
	answering body	Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
	answering dept id	201
	answering dept short name	Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
	answering dept sort name	Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
	hansard heading	Unpaid Work
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government when they expect to achieve their aim to “stamp out illegal unpaid internships”, as pledged in their response to the Taylor review of modern working practices.
	tabling member printed	Lord Mendelsohn
	uin	HL7805
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/05/2018 answer text <p>The Government is committed to cracking down on worker exploitation in the labour market. This includes the exploitative use of unpaid interns.</p><p> </p><p>We continue to invest heavily in minimum wage enforcement, increasing the budget to £26.3 million for 2018/19, up from £13 million in 2015/16. HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) follow-up every worker complaint it receives and takes enforcement action against employers underpaying the National Minimum Wage (NMW).</p><p> </p><p>HMRC also conducts proactive, targeted enforcement in sectors or areas where there is a higher risk of workers not being paid the legal minimum wage. HMRC is prioritising employers of unpaid interns as part of this work. For example, HMRC routinely contacts employers who advertise unpaid internships, signposting them to NMW guidance to help ensure they are compliant. HMRC has contacted over 1,000 employers in this way since last year.</p><p> </p><p>The Government discusses NMW obligations with employers and worker groups frequently. This includes the issue of exploitative unpaid internships. In line with the commitments made in the Taylor review of modern working practices, the Government will hold a roundtable with employers and leaders from sectors that commonly use interns, to increase awareness of existing legislation. This is scheduled to take place before summer recess.</p><p> </p><p>The Government also committed to updating public guidance for employers and workers on the rules for paying interns. I can confirm that changes will be published over the summer alongside other updates to NMW guidance.</p><p> </p><p>The Government continually assesses the effectiveness of its approach to NMW enforcement, including the approach taken with respect unpaid internships. We will continue to monitor the use of unpaid internships through our regular stakeholder engagement and will publish further details on progress made in enforcement of the NMW over the summer.</p> answering member printed Lord Henley grouped question UIN HL7806 HL7807 HL7808 HL7809 question first answered 17/05/2018 15:21:24 answering member 2616 label Biography information for Lord Henley
	tabling member	4286 label Biography information for Lord Mendelsohn

902280

	registered interest
	date	11/05/2018
	answering body	Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
	answering dept id	201
	answering dept short name	Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
	answering dept sort name	Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
	hansard heading	Unpaid Work
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government how they plan to raise awareness of existing legislation on the use of unpaid internships among employers and workers; and when they will issue updated guidance in this area, as pledged in the their response to the Taylor review of modern working practices.
	tabling member printed	Lord Mendelsohn
	uin	HL7806
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/05/2018 answer text <p>The Government is committed to cracking down on worker exploitation in the labour market. This includes the exploitative use of unpaid interns.</p><p> </p><p>We continue to invest heavily in minimum wage enforcement, increasing the budget to £26.3 million for 2018/19, up from £13 million in 2015/16. HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) follow-up every worker complaint it receives and takes enforcement action against employers underpaying the National Minimum Wage (NMW).</p><p> </p><p>HMRC also conducts proactive, targeted enforcement in sectors or areas where there is a higher risk of workers not being paid the legal minimum wage. HMRC is prioritising employers of unpaid interns as part of this work. For example, HMRC routinely contacts employers who advertise unpaid internships, signposting them to NMW guidance to help ensure they are compliant. HMRC has contacted over 1,000 employers in this way since last year.</p><p> </p><p>The Government discusses NMW obligations with employers and worker groups frequently. This includes the issue of exploitative unpaid internships. In line with the commitments made in the Taylor review of modern working practices, the Government will hold a roundtable with employers and leaders from sectors that commonly use interns, to increase awareness of existing legislation. This is scheduled to take place before summer recess.</p><p> </p><p>The Government also committed to updating public guidance for employers and workers on the rules for paying interns. I can confirm that changes will be published over the summer alongside other updates to NMW guidance.</p><p> </p><p>The Government continually assesses the effectiveness of its approach to NMW enforcement, including the approach taken with respect unpaid internships. We will continue to monitor the use of unpaid internships through our regular stakeholder engagement and will publish further details on progress made in enforcement of the NMW over the summer.</p> answering member printed Lord Henley grouped question UIN HL7805 HL7807 HL7808 HL7809 question first answered 17/05/2018 15:21:24 answering member 2616 label Biography information for Lord Henley
	tabling member	4286 label Biography information for Lord Mendelsohn

902281

	registered interest
	date	11/05/2018
	answering body	Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
	answering dept id	201
	answering dept short name	Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
	answering dept sort name	Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
	hansard heading	Unpaid Work
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what will be involved in their intelligence-led enforcement against employers who use unpaid interns, as pledged in their response to the Taylor review of modern working practices.
	tabling member printed	Lord Mendelsohn
	uin	HL7807
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/05/2018 answer text <p>The Government is committed to cracking down on worker exploitation in the labour market. This includes the exploitative use of unpaid interns.</p><p> </p><p>We continue to invest heavily in minimum wage enforcement, increasing the budget to £26.3 million for 2018/19, up from £13 million in 2015/16. HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) follow-up every worker complaint it receives and takes enforcement action against employers underpaying the National Minimum Wage (NMW).</p><p> </p><p>HMRC also conducts proactive, targeted enforcement in sectors or areas where there is a higher risk of workers not being paid the legal minimum wage. HMRC is prioritising employers of unpaid interns as part of this work. For example, HMRC routinely contacts employers who advertise unpaid internships, signposting them to NMW guidance to help ensure they are compliant. HMRC has contacted over 1,000 employers in this way since last year.</p><p> </p><p>The Government discusses NMW obligations with employers and worker groups frequently. This includes the issue of exploitative unpaid internships. In line with the commitments made in the Taylor review of modern working practices, the Government will hold a roundtable with employers and leaders from sectors that commonly use interns, to increase awareness of existing legislation. This is scheduled to take place before summer recess.</p><p> </p><p>The Government also committed to updating public guidance for employers and workers on the rules for paying interns. I can confirm that changes will be published over the summer alongside other updates to NMW guidance.</p><p> </p><p>The Government continually assesses the effectiveness of its approach to NMW enforcement, including the approach taken with respect unpaid internships. We will continue to monitor the use of unpaid internships through our regular stakeholder engagement and will publish further details on progress made in enforcement of the NMW over the summer.</p> answering member printed Lord Henley grouped question UIN HL7805 HL7806 HL7808 HL7809 question first answered 17/05/2018 15:21:24 answering member 2616 label Biography information for Lord Henley
	tabling member	4286 label Biography information for Lord Mendelsohn

902282

	registered interest
	date	11/05/2018
	answering body	Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
	answering dept id	201
	answering dept short name	Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
	answering dept sort name	Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
	hansard heading	Unpaid Work
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government when they will assess whether their approach to eradicating unpaid internships has been effective, as pledged in their response to the Taylor review of modern working practices.
	tabling member printed	Lord Mendelsohn
	uin	HL7808
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/05/2018 answer text <p>The Government is committed to cracking down on worker exploitation in the labour market. This includes the exploitative use of unpaid interns.</p><p> </p><p>We continue to invest heavily in minimum wage enforcement, increasing the budget to £26.3 million for 2018/19, up from £13 million in 2015/16. HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) follow-up every worker complaint it receives and takes enforcement action against employers underpaying the National Minimum Wage (NMW).</p><p> </p><p>HMRC also conducts proactive, targeted enforcement in sectors or areas where there is a higher risk of workers not being paid the legal minimum wage. HMRC is prioritising employers of unpaid interns as part of this work. For example, HMRC routinely contacts employers who advertise unpaid internships, signposting them to NMW guidance to help ensure they are compliant. HMRC has contacted over 1,000 employers in this way since last year.</p><p> </p><p>The Government discusses NMW obligations with employers and worker groups frequently. This includes the issue of exploitative unpaid internships. In line with the commitments made in the Taylor review of modern working practices, the Government will hold a roundtable with employers and leaders from sectors that commonly use interns, to increase awareness of existing legislation. This is scheduled to take place before summer recess.</p><p> </p><p>The Government also committed to updating public guidance for employers and workers on the rules for paying interns. I can confirm that changes will be published over the summer alongside other updates to NMW guidance.</p><p> </p><p>The Government continually assesses the effectiveness of its approach to NMW enforcement, including the approach taken with respect unpaid internships. We will continue to monitor the use of unpaid internships through our regular stakeholder engagement and will publish further details on progress made in enforcement of the NMW over the summer.</p> answering member printed Lord Henley grouped question UIN HL7805 HL7806 HL7807 HL7809 question first answered 17/05/2018 15:21:25 answering member 2616 label Biography information for Lord Henley
	tabling member	4286 label Biography information for Lord Mendelsohn

902283

	registered interest
	date	11/05/2018
	answering body	Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
	answering dept id	201
	answering dept short name	Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
	answering dept sort name	Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
	hansard heading	Unpaid Work
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will publish a list of their (1) meetings held in the past year, and (2) forthcoming meetings with sector bodies or employers to discuss the use of unpaid internships, as pledged in their response to the Taylor review of modern working practices.
	tabling member printed	Lord Mendelsohn
	uin	HL7809
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/05/2018 answer text <p>The Government is committed to cracking down on worker exploitation in the labour market. This includes the exploitative use of unpaid interns.</p><p> </p><p>We continue to invest heavily in minimum wage enforcement, increasing the budget to £26.3 million for 2018/19, up from £13 million in 2015/16. HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) follow-up every worker complaint it receives and takes enforcement action against employers underpaying the National Minimum Wage (NMW).</p><p> </p><p>HMRC also conducts proactive, targeted enforcement in sectors or areas where there is a higher risk of workers not being paid the legal minimum wage. HMRC is prioritising employers of unpaid interns as part of this work. For example, HMRC routinely contacts employers who advertise unpaid internships, signposting them to NMW guidance to help ensure they are compliant. HMRC has contacted over 1,000 employers in this way since last year.</p><p> </p><p>The Government discusses NMW obligations with employers and worker groups frequently. This includes the issue of exploitative unpaid internships. In line with the commitments made in the Taylor review of modern working practices, the Government will hold a roundtable with employers and leaders from sectors that commonly use interns, to increase awareness of existing legislation. This is scheduled to take place before summer recess.</p><p> </p><p>The Government also committed to updating public guidance for employers and workers on the rules for paying interns. I can confirm that changes will be published over the summer alongside other updates to NMW guidance.</p><p> </p><p>The Government continually assesses the effectiveness of its approach to NMW enforcement, including the approach taken with respect unpaid internships. We will continue to monitor the use of unpaid internships through our regular stakeholder engagement and will publish further details on progress made in enforcement of the NMW over the summer.</p> answering member printed Lord Henley grouped question UIN HL7805 HL7806 HL7807 HL7808 question first answered 17/05/2018 15:21:25 answering member 2616 label Biography information for Lord Henley
	tabling member	4286 label Biography information for Lord Mendelsohn

984278

	registered interest
	date	09/10/2018
	answering body	Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
	answering dept id	201
	answering dept short name	Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
	answering dept sort name	Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
	hansard heading	Unpaid Work
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answers by Lord Henley on 17 May (HL7805, HL7806, HL7807, and HL7809), what progress they have made in fulfilling their commitments, in particular the commitments to (1) hold a roundtable discussion with employers and leaders from sectors that commonly use interns, (2) update guidance for employers and workers on the rules for paying interns, and (3) publish further details on enforcement of the National Minimum Wage.
	tabling member printed	Lord Holmes of Richmond
	uin	HL10486
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/10/2018 answer text <p>The Government is clear that all interns who are conducting work should be paid at least the National Minimum Wage. We will publish updated guidance in due course to ensure employers are clear on their responsibilities. This guidance clarifies the checks employers need to make to ensure they are paying interns properly.</p><p>The Government has been focusing enforcement efforts towards employers of interns. HM Revenue and Customs have contacted over 2,000 employers found to be advertising on the internet for unpaid internships. Each employer is written a letter to make the law clear, and to set out the risk of further enforcement action. HM Revenue and Customs will shortly expand this approach. Government Ministers are planning a roundtable meeting with employers later this year.</p><p>The Government recently published National Living Wage and National Minimum Wage: government evidence on compliance and enforcement, 2017 to 2018. This is publicly available in the attached.</p> answering member printed Lord Henley question first answered 23/10/2018 11:11:01 answering member 2616 label Biography information for Lord Henley attachment 1 file name nmw-nlw-enforcement-compliance-report-2018.pdf title NATIONAL LIVING WAGE AND NATIONAL MINIMUM WAGE
	tabling member	4294 label Biography information for Lord Holmes of Richmond