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100004
registered interest false remove filter
date less than 2014-10-20more like thismore than 2014-10-20
answering body
Department for Business, Innovation and Skills more like this
answering dept id 26 more like this
answering dept short name Business, Innovation and Skills more like this
answering dept sort name Business, Innovation and Skills more like this
hansard heading Unpaid Work more like this
house id 2 remove filter
legislature
25277
pref label House of Lords more like this
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. more like this
tabling member printed
Baroness Berridge more like this
uin HL2219 more like this
answer
answer
is ministerial correction false more like this
date of answer less than 2014-10-29more like thismore than 2014-10-29
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 more like this
question first answered
less than 2014-10-29T16:15:22.2220144Zmore like thismore than 2014-10-29T16:15:22.2220144Z
answering member
4284
label Biography information for Baroness Neville-Rolfe more like this
tabling member
4218
label Biography information for Baroness Berridge more like this