Tag: Baroness Suttie

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Suttie on 2016-10-21.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is the total anticipated cost of salaries for new members of staff recruited to work in the Department for Exiting the European Union and the Department for International Trade for 2016–17 and 2017–18.

Baroness Chisholm of Owlpen

The budget required to fulfil both the Department for International Trade’s and the Department for Exiting the EU’s set-up and responsibilities, including staffing budget, will be presented to the House of Commons and approved as part of the supplementary estimates in the New Year, as is standard practice.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Suttie on 2015-10-23.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what consideration they have given to increasing the Gangmasters Licensing Authority fees for licence applications, renewal and inspection for the top two bands of businesses, in order to raise income to cover that Authority’s expenditure.

Lord Bates

We are currently consulting on the future role and remit of the Gangmasters Licensing Authority, including the licensing regime and its operation. Any changes made to the GLA’s licensing regime would be undertaken in line with the principles of Managing Public Money and would be subject to Her Majesty’s Treasury and Home Office Ministers’ approval.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Suttie on 2015-10-23.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have to keep records on the amount of compensation received by victims of trafficking for labour exploitation through (1) the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority, (2) civil claims for damages, (3) employment tribunal claims, (4) court-awarded criminal compensation, and (5) repayments for breaches of the National Minimum Wage.

Lord Bates

Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority does not provide data breakdown of compensation awarded to victims by crime type. This is because it awards compensation in line with the Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme tariff of injuries rather than by the type of incident that led to those injuries.

Her Majesty’s Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS) administers civil claims, employment tribunal claims, and court-awarded criminal compensation. Civil claims and employment tribunal claims do not deal with cases where a crime has been alleged, so data is not recorded on victims of modern slavery. For court-awarded criminal compensations, the sentence passed on offenders for each offence committed is recorded, including any compensation awarded. This data is not cross-referenced against compensation received by victims of the offence, so compensation received by victims of trafficking for labour exploitation is not recorded.

There are no plans to change the way data is collected by CICA or HMCTS that would provide the information sought about compensation received by victims of trafficking for labour exploitation.

HMRC work with the police, Home Office and local authorities in cases that may involve slavery and servitude. HMRC do not collate specific data on arrears identified but are currently reviewing ways to record any National Minimum Wage outcomes in Modern Slavery cases they undertake.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Suttie on 2015-10-23.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what role in the Director of Labour Market Enforcement, as set out in the Immigration Bill, will play in setting the operational priorities of and in allocating resources to (1) the Employment Agency Standards Inspectorate, (2) the Gangmasters Licensing Authority, and (3) HM Revenue and Customs National Minimum Wage enforcement teams.

Lord Bates

The consultation we have recently published on tackling labour exploitation sets out the role envisaged for the Director of Labour Market Enforcement. The measures we have introduced in the Immigration Bill require the Director to set the priorities for the three enforcement bodies: the Employment Agency Standards Inspectorate, National Minimum Wage enforcement function of HMRC and the Gangmasters Licensing Authority. These will be set out in an annual strategic plan, subject to the approval of the Secretaries of State at the Department for Business Innovation and Skills and the Home Office. This will set out the clear priorities for tackling serious exploitation and the role of the agencies in delivering them.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Suttie on 2015-10-23.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they plan to introduce labour-market wide licensing and enforcement in order to support commitments made in the Modern Slavery Act 2015.

Lord Bates

Following a commitment made in section 55 of the Modern Slavery Act 2015 the Government has now launched a consultation on tackling exploitation in the labour market. This consultation is seeking views on proposals to appoint a new Director of Labour Market Enforcement and create additional powers for the Gangmasters Licensing Authority to take enforcement action against labour exploitation across the labour market. The consultation proposes a power to vary the sectors subject to licensing following an evidence-based analysis by the new Director.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Suttie on 2015-10-23.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what discussions they have had with business on how labour inspection and enforcement could support implementation of section 54 of the Modern Slavery Act 2015, relating to transparency in the supply chains of commercial organisations.

Lord Bates

Section 54 of the Modern Slavery Act 2015 focuses on encouraging businesses to take action to prevent modern slavery in their supply chains. The state seeks to prevent this type of abuse through labour inspection and enforcement. We want these two areas of activity to complement each other to prevent labour exploitation in the UK. We have recently launched a consultation on the Government’s approach to tackling exploitation in the labour market. We will use the outcomes of this consultation to ensure that our final proposals complement section 54 of the Modern Slavery Act as effectively as possible.