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917369

registered interest
date	05/06/2018
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, if he will take steps to ensure that people who have completed unpaid work trials are able to claim back payment for that work.
tabling member constituency	Glasgow South
tabling member printed	Stewart Malcolm McDonald
uin	150184
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 11/06/2018 answer text <p>HMRC inspectors consider work trials on a case-by-case basis. Where they come to the view that the arrangements constitute “work” under existing National Minimum Wage regulations, they will require employers to repay any arrears and will impose fines.</p><p>HMRC will respond to every complaint received from workers who are concerned about work trials.</p> answering member constituency Burton answering member printed Andrew Griffiths question first answered 11/06/2018 13:56:10 answering member 3936 label Biography information for Andrew Griffiths
tabling member	4461 label Biography information for Stewart Malcolm McDonald

917104

registered interest
date	04/06/2018
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 estimate he has made of the number of people who have undertaken unpaid work trials in 2017-18.
tabling member constituency	Glasgow South
tabling member printed	Stewart Malcolm McDonald
uin	149681
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 07/06/2018 answer text <p>I am meeting worker and employer representatives to discuss guidance on the limited circumstances when short unpaid trials as part of a genuine recruitment process are legitimate.</p> answering member constituency Burton answering member printed Andrew Griffiths question first answered 07/06/2018 15:37:50 answering member 3936 label Biography information for Andrew Griffiths
tabling member	4461 label Biography information for Stewart Malcolm McDonald

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

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