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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

872314

registered interest
date	26/03/2018
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	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the level of use of unpaid trial shifts at the outset of employment.
tabling member constituency	Glasgow South
tabling member printed	Stewart Malcolm McDonald
uin	134228
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 29/03/2018 answer text <p>National Minimum Wage legislation provides that, if an individual is a “worker” for minimum wage purposes, he or she must be paid at least the national minimum or living wage. Short unpaid trials are permissible if they are part of a genuine recruitment exercise.</p><p> </p><p>HM Revenue and Customs take action against employers attempting to exploit workers by not complying with minimum wage legislation. They respond to all complaints and assess the facts of each case. Where they come to the view that unpaid work trials are in fact “work” under National Minimum Wage legislation, they will require the employer to pay any arrears to the worker and to pay a fine of up to 200% of the arrears.</p><p> </p><p>The Government’s policy is that it is unacceptable to exploit workers through excessively long unpaid work trials. We are therefore preparing guidance that will bring clarity on the responsibility of employers to pay the National Minimum Wage. We will work with key business and worker stakeholders in developing that guidance.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Burton answering member printed Andrew Griffiths grouped question UIN 134229 question first answered 29/03/2018 15:54:12 answering member 3936 label Biography information for Andrew Griffiths
tabling member	4461 label Biography information for Stewart Malcolm McDonald

838560

registered interest
date	07/02/2018
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	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to the oral contribution of the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy of 7 February 2018, on the Taylor Review, Official Report, Column 1502, what steps his Department is planning to take to ensure that unpaid interns are not doing the job of a worker.
tabling member constituency	Barnsley East
tabling member printed	Stephanie Peacock
uin	127380
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 26/02/2018 answer text <p>The law is clear that interns must be paid at least minimum wage rates if they are doing the job of a worker.</p><p> </p><p>HMRC will make unpaid interns a priority for their targeted, intelligence led enforcement of the National Minimum Wage. This will build upon the work conducted to target sectors and employers advertising unpaid internships online. Since November HMRC investigators have issued more than 550 warning letters to employers advertising for unpaid interns through job websites.</p><p> </p><p>Additionally, the Government will publish further guidance for employers to make it absolutely clear when they must pay minimum wage rates to interns.</p> answering member constituency Burton answering member printed Andrew Griffiths question first answered 26/02/2018 11:07:30 answering member 3936 label Biography information for Andrew Griffiths
tabling member	4607 label Biography information for Stephanie Peacock

830214

registered interest
date	24/01/2018
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	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what recent estimate his Department has made of the total number of (a) paid and (b) unpaid internships in the UK.
tabling member constituency	Elmet and Rothwell
tabling member printed	Alec Shelbrooke
uin	124875
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 29/01/2018 answer text <p>The Government has not made an estimate of the number of interns in the UK since 2010. The estimate produced in 2010 was based on evidence from the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD), combined with a number of other assumptions and should be treated as indicative only.</p><p> </p><p>If an intern is classified as a “worker”, they are entitled to at least the National Minimum Wage from day one of their employment.</p> answering member constituency Burton answering member printed Andrew Griffiths question first answered 29/01/2018 15:47:58 answering member 3936 label Biography information for Andrew Griffiths
tabling member	3997 label Biography information for Sir Alec Shelbrooke

706640

registered interest
date	01/03/2017
answering body	Cabinet Office
answering dept id	53
answering dept short name	Cabinet Office
answering dept sort name	Cabinet Office
hansard heading	Unpaid Work
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps he is taking to ensure that internships are accessible to people from all backgrounds.
tabling member constituency	East Ham
tabling member printed	Stephen Timms
uin	66181
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 08/03/2017 answer text <p>The Civil Service offers a range of internship opportunities. A substantial number of these internships are accessed through positive action schemes, permitted by the Equality Act 2010, to alleviate disadvantage experienced by people from certain groups and to improve their representation.</p><p> </p><p>The Summer Diversity Internship and Early Diversity Internship Programmes, for example, are targeted at BAME, lower socio-economic and disabled groups because they are currently under-represented in the Fast Stream graduate programme. We will continue to prioritise these under-represented groups and consider such schemes to be appropriate initiatives to help increase awareness of the Civil Service and ultimately lead to increased numbers of successful applications to the Fast Stream.</p><p> </p><p>Other internships, not diversity specific, are run but tend to be overseen by specific departments or specialisms, such as the annual FCO internship programme and the Government Economic Service Summer Vacation Placement Scheme.</p><p> </p><p>All recruitment for permanent positions conforms to the Civil Service Commission Principles of fair and open selection, based on merit.</p> answering member constituency Ipswich answering member printed Ben Gummer question first answered 08/03/2017 14:15:55 answering member 3988 label Biography information for Ben Gummer
tabling member	163 label Biography information for Sir Stephen Timms

596119

registered interest
date	07/10/2016
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	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment his Department has made of the prevalence of employer's using unpaid trial shifts, particularly in the hospitality sector.
tabling member constituency	Coatbridge, Chryston and Bellshill
tabling member printed	Phil Boswell
uin	47236
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/10/2016 answer text <p>The Department does not make any assessment of employers using unpaid trial shifts for any sectors including hospitality.</p> answering member constituency East Hampshire answering member printed Damian Hinds question first answered 17/10/2016 13:30:12 answering member 3969 label Biography information for Damian Hinds
tabling member	4388 label Biography information for Philip Boswell

596134

registered interest
date	07/10/2016
answering body	Cabinet Office
answering dept id	53
answering dept short name	Cabinet Office
answering dept sort name	Cabinet Office
hansard heading	Unpaid Work
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what statistics are held by the Government relating to incidences of unpaid trial shifts since May 2010 relating to (a) individuals not claiming benefits and (b) people under 25 years old.
tabling member constituency	Coatbridge, Chryston and Bellshill
tabling member printed	Phil Boswell
uin	47058
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/10/2016 answer text <p>The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.</p> answering member constituency Kingswood answering member printed Chris Skidmore question first answered 18/10/2016 14:41:46 answering member 4021 label Biography information for Chris Skidmore attachment 1 file name PQ 47058 V.03 (1) (1) (2).pdf title UKSA Response to PQ47058
tabling member	4388 label Biography information for Philip Boswell

528539

registered interest
date	24/06/2016
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	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what plans he has to gather data on the prevalence of paid and unpaid internships.
tabling member constituency	Copeland
tabling member printed	Mr Jamie Reed
uin	41208
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 04/07/2016 answer text <p>The Government has no current plans to quantify the number of paid and unpaid interns. There is no legal definition of an intern, but all those who qualify as ‘workers’ are entitled to the National Minimum Wage and National Living Wage.</p> answering member constituency Grantham and Stamford answering member printed Nick Boles question first answered 04/07/2016 09:32:33 answering member 3995 label Biography information for Nick Boles
tabling member	1503 label Biography information for Mr Jamie Reed

528540

registered interest
date	24/06/2016
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	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what his policy is on introducing a legal or standard definition of an internship.
tabling member constituency	Copeland
tabling member printed	Mr Jamie Reed
uin	41209
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 04/07/2016 answer text <p>The Government has no plans to create a legal or standard definition of an internship.</p><p>Depending on the reality of the employment relationship an intern could be classed as a worker, an employee or a volunteer.</p> answering member constituency Grantham and Stamford answering member printed Nick Boles question first answered 04/07/2016 09:29:24 answering member 3995 label Biography information for Nick Boles
tabling member	1503 label Biography information for Mr Jamie Reed

455192

registered interest
date	25/02/2016
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	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how many representations he has received on the exploitation of unpaid trials in the (a) service, (b) print and (c) retail sector.
tabling member constituency	Sheffield, Heeley
tabling member printed	Louise Haigh
uin	28558
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/03/2016 answer text <p>My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Business Innovation and Skills, BIS Ministers and officials are in frequent contact with a wide range of stakeholders on labour market issues, including issues around internships. The Low Pay Commission also consults on a range of issues, including internships, and submits its findings to Government each year to inform its recommendations on the National Minimum Wage. We are not aware of any recent, formal representations relating only to exploitation of unpaid interns in the specified sectors.</p> answering member constituency Grantham and Stamford answering member printed Nick Boles question first answered 09/03/2016 11:52:09 answering member 3995 label Biography information for Nick Boles
tabling member	4473 label Biography information for Louise Haigh