To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to work with (1) trade unions, and (2) businesses, on the implementation of the Employment Rights Act 2025.

To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to work with (1) trade unions, and (2) businesses, on the implementation of the Employment Rights Act 2025.

This briefing provides an overview of a range of key statutory employment rights in Great Britain, including unfair dismissal, deduction from wages and working time.

This briefing provides an overview of a range of key statutory employment rights in Great Britain, including unfair dismissal, deduction from wages and working time.

This briefing covers the rules governing trade unions, the rights of union members, collective bargaining, strikes and other industrial action

This briefing covers the rules governing trade unions, the rights of union members, collective bargaining, strikes and other industrial action

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what estimate he has made of the number of labour inspectors required to enforce new employment rights measures in each of the next three years.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what estimate he has made of the number of labour inspectors required to enforce new employment rights measures in each of the next three years.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment his Department has made of whether the current legal framework on employment status adequately protects licensed private hire drivers working through digital platform operators.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment his Department has made of whether the current legal framework on employment status adequately protects licensed private hire drivers working through digital platform operators.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what he is taking, as co-owner of the International Education Strategy, to ensure UK schools expanding overseas do not use non-disclosure agreements to silence harassment or discrimination in ways that would be unlawful in the UK.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what he is taking, as co-owner of the International Education Strategy, to ensure UK schools expanding overseas do not use non-disclosure agreements to silence harassment or discrimination in ways that would be unlawful in the UK.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether the Government's response to the Make Work Pay consultation on non-disclosure agreements will address staff employed by the overseas franchises of UK schools.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether the Government's response to the Make Work Pay consultation on non-disclosure agreements will address staff employed by the overseas franchises of UK schools.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many reserve service days will be offered to reservists in each remaining financial year of this Parliament.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many reserve service days will be offered to reservists in each remaining financial year of this Parliament.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will implement a cap on the number of reserve service days a reservist can complete in each of the remaining financial years of the current Parliament.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will implement a cap on the number of reserve service days a reservist can complete in each of the remaining financial years of the current Parliament.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment the Maritime and Coastguard Agency has made of the potential impact of moving to a volunteer-with-expenses model for Coastguard Rescue Officers from September 2026 on recruitment, retention and operational readiness in Northern Ireland.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment the Maritime and Coastguard Agency has made of the potential impact of moving to a volunteer-with-expenses model for Coastguard Rescue Officers from September 2026 on recruitment, retention and operational readiness in Northern Ireland.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, if he will set out the type of permission, contract or leave of absence that allowed Grace Pritchard to work on the Labour Party campaign for the Makerfield by-election.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, if he will set out the type of permission, contract or leave of absence that allowed Grace Pritchard to work on the Labour Party campaign for the Makerfield by-election.

Lords motion to take note of the Government's record on education, employment and welfare since July 2024. Agreed to on question.

Lords motion to take note of the Government's record on education, employment and welfare since July 2024. Agreed to on question.

My Lords, I am delighted to open this important debate on the Government’s record on education, employment and welfare, as we reach the end of the Starmer premiership and move to the Burnham one.

Over the past two years, an unfortunate pattern has emerged across the Government’s policies on these issues....

My Lords, I am delighted to open this important debate on the Government’s record on education, employment and welfare, as we reach the end of the Starmer premiership and move to the Burnham one.

Over the past two years, an unfortunate pattern has emerged across the Government’s policies on these issues....

My Lords, my text for this simplistic opposition attack on the Government is simple: I will point out the legacy of the noble Baroness who has just spoken. She was in the Cabinet for six years. On 20 January 2025, the Economic Affairs Committee of your Lordships’ House produced a

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My Lords, my text for this simplistic opposition attack on the Government is simple: I will point out the legacy of the noble Baroness who has just spoken. She was in the Cabinet for six years. On 20 January 2025, the Economic Affairs Committee of your Lordships’ House produced a

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My Lords, I thank the noble Baroness, Lady Evans, for securing this important debate. I looked at the list of speakers and thought this was going to be a fantastic debate about our children’s future. I do not want it to be about how bad one side or the other...

My Lords, I thank the noble Baroness, Lady Evans, for securing this important debate. I looked at the list of speakers and thought this was going to be a fantastic debate about our children’s future. I do not want it to be about how bad one side or the other...

My Lords, I am grateful to the noble Baroness, Lady Evans of Bowes Park, for bringing this debate today, and it is an honour to follow the noble Lord, Lord Mohammed of Tinsley.

I want to focus my comments on opportunity and social mobility. In assessing the Government’s record on education,...

My Lords, I am grateful to the noble Baroness, Lady Evans of Bowes Park, for bringing this debate today, and it is an honour to follow the noble Lord, Lord Mohammed of Tinsley.

I want to focus my comments on opportunity and social mobility. In assessing the Government’s record on education,...

My Lords, I congratulate my noble friend Lady Evans on her excellent introduction to this important debate, and it is a pleasure to follow the right reverend Prelate the Bishop of Newcastle.

I will concentrate on NEETs: that is, young people who leave school without entering sixth form or FE, employment...

My Lords, I congratulate my noble friend Lady Evans on her excellent introduction to this important debate, and it is a pleasure to follow the right reverend Prelate the Bishop of Newcastle.

I will concentrate on NEETs: that is, young people who leave school without entering sixth form or FE, employment...

My Lords, the level of youth unemployment in England today is 16.2%. So many youngsters are leaving school at 18 without any employability skills, and that is a disgrace for the fifth-richest country in the world. It is also an indictment of the failure of the education policy of Conservative...

My Lords, the level of youth unemployment in England today is 16.2%. So many youngsters are leaving school at 18 without any employability skills, and that is a disgrace for the fifth-richest country in the world. It is also an indictment of the failure of the education policy of Conservative...

My Lords, I thank the noble Baroness, Lady Evans, for introducing this debate. It is a pleasure to follow the noble Lord, Lord Baker, who always has important and interesting things to say about vocational training—and, it seems, about ministerial appointments.

I am very proud that this Government’s mission is to...

My Lords, I thank the noble Baroness, Lady Evans, for introducing this debate. It is a pleasure to follow the noble Lord, Lord Baker, who always has important and interesting things to say about vocational training—and, it seems, about ministerial appointments.

I am very proud that this Government’s mission is to...

My Lords, I also most warmly congratulate my noble friend on a brilliant speech in which she said all that needed to be said. Many of us will repeat the same message, but that is what you do in church—as the right reverend Prelate will understand—and you learn the message...

My Lords, I also most warmly congratulate my noble friend on a brilliant speech in which she said all that needed to be said. Many of us will repeat the same message, but that is what you do in church—as the right reverend Prelate will understand—and you learn the message...

My Lords, I am grateful to the noble Baroness, Lady Evans, for introducing this debate at a time when over 1 million young people are NEET.

In 2009, I was appointed Employment Minister in the teeth of the global financial crisis. The Prime Minister was clear: my job was to prevent...

My Lords, I am grateful to the noble Baroness, Lady Evans, for introducing this debate at a time when over 1 million young people are NEET.

In 2009, I was appointed Employment Minister in the teeth of the global financial crisis. The Prime Minister was clear: my job was to prevent...

My Lords, I too congratulate the noble Baroness, Lady Evans, on calling this debate. One can sense in the interventions from all sides of the House the deep disappointment and frustration that we now—once again, shockingly—have 1 million young people who are NEET. It is particularly frustrating, as tackling the...

My Lords, I too congratulate the noble Baroness, Lady Evans, on calling this debate. One can sense in the interventions from all sides of the House the deep disappointment and frustration that we now—once again, shockingly—have 1 million young people who are NEET. It is particularly frustrating, as tackling the...

My Lords, I congratulate my noble friend on introducing this debate so well. I am conscious that a lot of statistics have been thrown around. I was genuinely surprised to hear the figures given by the noble Lords, Lord Rooker and Lord Knight, and I am curious as to where...

My Lords, I congratulate my noble friend on introducing this debate so well. I am conscious that a lot of statistics have been thrown around. I was genuinely surprised to hear the figures given by the noble Lords, Lord Rooker and Lord Knight, and I am curious as to where...

My Lords, I congratulate the noble Baroness, Lady Evans, for securing this debate and for her excellent opening speech. Britain’s economic problems did not begin with this Government. That

would be an unjust accusation. I am afraid Governments of all parties have laboured diligently over many years to produce today’s...

My Lords, I congratulate the noble Baroness, Lady Evans, for securing this debate and for her excellent opening speech. Britain’s economic problems did not begin with this Government. That

would be an unjust accusation. I am afraid Governments of all parties have laboured diligently over many years to produce today’s...

My Lords, I am grateful to my noble friend Lady Evans for securing this debate and it is a pleasure to follow the noble Lord, Lord Frost. The Government’s stewardship of the economy over the past two years has been little short of catastrophic for our labour market. When the...

My Lords, I am grateful to my noble friend Lady Evans for securing this debate and it is a pleasure to follow the noble Lord, Lord Frost. The Government’s stewardship of the economy over the past two years has been little short of catastrophic for our labour market. When the...

My Lords, I have been reflecting on why the lifelong learning commitment matters: the world of work has changed and continues to do so. People will need new skills throughout their working lives. We need to help people get into and, just as importantly, stay in work as jobs and...

My Lords, I have been reflecting on why the lifelong learning commitment matters: the world of work has changed and continues to do so. People will need new skills throughout their working lives. We need to help people get into and, just as importantly, stay in work as jobs and...

My Lords, I welcome this opportunity to take stock of what I am sure the Minister will demonstrate is a pretty positive record. I will focus on social security—called “welfare” in the Motion—but first I shall mention the education reforms that have contributed to the child poverty strategy by reducing...

My Lords, I welcome this opportunity to take stock of what I am sure the Minister will demonstrate is a pretty positive record. I will focus on social security—called “welfare” in the Motion—but first I shall mention the education reforms that have contributed to the child poverty strategy by reducing...

My Lords, I congratulate my noble friend Lady Evans on securing this debate and on her excellent opener. We are at an end-of-term moment, not least because the PM who promised us economic growth in his manifesto has clearly failed and, somewhat extraordinarily, the Labour Party has not found one...

My Lords, I congratulate my noble friend Lady Evans on securing this debate and on her excellent opener. We are at an end-of-term moment, not least because the PM who promised us economic growth in his manifesto has clearly failed and, somewhat extraordinarily, the Labour Party has not found one...

Oh!

Oh!

I would welcome an intervention from anyone who can claim that there was such an economist who did support the contention. There is none.

The negativity that ensued was disastrous. I understand the tactics, perhaps emulating George Osborne, but the response was to break a manifesto commitment and increase taxes, which...

I would welcome an intervention from anyone who can claim that there was such an economist who did support the contention. There is none.

The negativity that ensued was disastrous. I understand the tactics, perhaps emulating George Osborne, but the response was to break a manifesto commitment and increase taxes, which...

I congratulate my noble friend Lady Evans on this timely debate and on her excellent remarks. It is always a pleasure, too, to follow my noble friend Lord Leigh.

The first duty of government is the national security, including economic security, of our country. By that, I mean delivering a functioning...

I congratulate my noble friend Lady Evans on this timely debate and on her excellent remarks. It is always a pleasure, too, to follow my noble friend Lord Leigh.

The first duty of government is the national security, including economic security, of our country. By that, I mean delivering a functioning...

My Lords, parliamentary tradition prevents me using the precise words required to describe the inheritance that the previous Government left behind on the topics of this Motion. Allow me to remind the House of that baseline: a classroom workforce in freefall, an economy addicted to insecure labour and a welfare...

My Lords, parliamentary tradition prevents me using the precise words required to describe the inheritance that the previous Government left behind on the topics of this Motion. Allow me to remind the House of that baseline: a classroom workforce in freefall, an economy addicted to insecure labour and a welfare...

My Lords, it is a pleasure to take part in the debate. I express my gratitude to my noble friend Lady Evans for presenting the case against the Government so eloquently at the start of the debate. It has been very interesting to follow a number of distinguished speakers. It...

My Lords, it is a pleasure to take part in the debate. I express my gratitude to my noble friend Lady Evans for presenting the case against the Government so eloquently at the start of the debate. It has been very interesting to follow a number of distinguished speakers. It...

My Lords, I thank the noble Baroness, Lady Evans, for securing this debate. I declare my interest as pro-chancellor of the University of Portsmouth and honorary professor of women’s health at City St George’s University of London.

Education, employment and welfare are interconnected. When education fails, employment suffers. When secure work...

My Lords, I thank the noble Baroness, Lady Evans, for securing this debate. I declare my interest as pro-chancellor of the University of Portsmouth and honorary professor of women’s health at City St George’s University of London.

Education, employment and welfare are interconnected. When education fails, employment suffers. When secure work...

My Lords, my noble friend Baroness Evans of Bowes Park, in her excellent speech, and many others, have made strong points about the previous Government’s achievements in education. I will not repeat them, except to say that we are in the bizarre position of having delegations from overseas visiting our...

My Lords, my noble friend Baroness Evans of Bowes Park, in her excellent speech, and many others, have made strong points about the previous Government’s achievements in education. I will not repeat them, except to say that we are in the bizarre position of having delegations from overseas visiting our...

My Lords, when I saw that the noble Baroness, Lady Evans, had put this subject down for a debate today, for which I thank her, I thought I should take a look at the statistics to examine whether I had missed a particularly bad report on education or employment. I...

My Lords, when I saw that the noble Baroness, Lady Evans, had put this subject down for a debate today, for which I thank her, I thought I should take a look at the statistics to examine whether I had missed a particularly bad report on education or employment. I...

My Lords, I am afraid I could have predicted some of the lines of this debate. Indeed, in the first speech, we heard the noble Baroness, Lady Evans, saying how dreadful everything is. The response from the noble Lord, Lord Rooker, reminded me of a guard dog having its tail...

My Lords, I am afraid I could have predicted some of the lines of this debate. Indeed, in the first speech, we heard the noble Baroness, Lady Evans, saying how dreadful everything is. The response from the noble Lord, Lord Rooker, reminded me of a guard dog having its tail...

My Lords, what an excellent debate—the House at its very best. I have lost count of the number of former Ministers and Cabinet members speaking on their areas of expertise. I thank them all. What is striking is how much we agree on. No one here disagrees with the notion...

My Lords, what an excellent debate—the House at its very best. I have lost count of the number of former Ministers and Cabinet members speaking on their areas of expertise. I thank them all. What is striking is how much we agree on. No one here disagrees with the notion...

My Lords, I thank the House for some really interesting and wide-ranging contributions today, and the noble Baroness, Lady Evans, for bringing this debate to the House this afternoon. If it is a Thursday afternoon, it must be a debate on education, employment and young people.

As I say, it has...

My Lords, I thank the House for some really interesting and wide-ranging contributions today, and the noble Baroness, Lady Evans, for bringing this debate to the House this afternoon. If it is a Thursday afternoon, it must be a debate on education, employment and young people.

As I say, it has...

My Lords, I am very grateful for the contributions of noble Lords across the House to this debate. A wealth of expertise, experience and passion has been evident throughout.

What came across loud and clear in so many contributions—indeed, it was acknowledged by the Minister in her wind-up—was the need for...

My Lords, I am very grateful for the contributions of noble Lords across the House to this debate. A wealth of expertise, experience and passion has been evident throughout.

What came across loud and clear in so many contributions—indeed, it was acknowledged by the Minister in her wind-up—was the need for...

My Honourable Friend the Minister of State for Care (Stephen Kinnock MP) has made the following statement:

Today, I am proud to inform the house that this government is setting out the details of the Adult Social Care Fair Pay Agreement, a landmark reform that will turn the page on decades...

My Honourable Friend the Minister of State for Care (Stephen Kinnock MP) has made the following statement:

Today, I am proud to inform the house that this government is setting out the details of the Adult Social Care Fair Pay Agreement, a landmark reform that will turn the page on decades...

Today, I am proud to inform the house that this government is setting out the details of the Adult Social Care Fair Pay Agreement, a landmark reform that will turn the page on decades of low pay, insecurity, and the exploitation of adult social care workers. In doing so, we...

Today, I am proud to inform the house that this government is setting out the details of the Adult Social Care Fair Pay Agreement, a landmark reform that will turn the page on decades of low pay, insecurity, and the exploitation of adult social care workers. In doing so, we...

Thanks to the outsourcing of interpreter and translation services to private providers, qualified interpreters and translators are being exploited through lower pay and are often substituted by those providing substandard services. We have already seen the West Midlands police rely on Cintra for such services—to the detriment of the force,...

Thanks to the outsourcing of interpreter and translation services to private providers, qualified interpreters and translators are being exploited through lower pay and are often substituted by those providing substandard services. We have already seen the West Midlands police rely on Cintra for such services—to the detriment of the force,...

These are concerning matters, and the hon. Gentleman is right to raise them. I suggest that he seek either a Westminster Hall debate or an Adjournment debate when we return, so that he can go into further detail on an issue that I am sure is causing distress to some...

These are concerning matters, and the hon. Gentleman is right to raise them. I suggest that he seek either a Westminster Hall debate or an Adjournment debate when we return, so that he can go into further detail on an issue that I am sure is causing distress to some...

GMB union members at Glen Dimplex in my constituency have been on strike for five weeks over proposed workload changes. This week, after showing remarkable grit, they secured a return to the status quo while negotiations continue. Will the Leader of the House provide Government time for a debate on...

GMB union members at Glen Dimplex in my constituency have been on strike for five weeks over proposed workload changes. This week, after showing remarkable grit, they secured a return to the status quo while negotiations continue. Will the Leader of the House provide Government time for a debate on...

My hon. Friend will know that the Government have been instrumental in bringing forward advanced industrial rights for working people; it is therefore sad to learn of what is taking place in her constituency. Should she seek a debate on our return, she could make that case. I hope that...

My hon. Friend will know that the Government have been instrumental in bringing forward advanced industrial rights for working people; it is therefore sad to learn of what is taking place in her constituency. Should she seek a debate on our return, she could make that case. I hope that...

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the National Insurance rate, Minimum Wage and Employment Rights Act on the unemployment rate.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the National Insurance rate, Minimum Wage and Employment Rights Act on the unemployment rate.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans he has to address a) low pay, b) a lack of formal training and development pathways, and c) job insecurity and organisational changes, highlighted in the May 2025 Ipsos Drug and Alcohol treatment and recovery workforce survey...

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans he has to address a) low pay, b) a lack of formal training and development pathways, and c) job insecurity and organisational changes, highlighted in the May 2025 Ipsos Drug and Alcohol treatment and recovery workforce survey...

The twelfth report of the Police Remuneration Review Body (PRRB) is being laid before Parliament and published today. The Body considered the pay and allowances for police officers in the federated and superintending ranks in England and Wales. The supplement to the forty-eighth annual report of the Senior Salaries Review...

The twelfth report of the Police Remuneration Review Body (PRRB) is being laid before Parliament and published today. The Body considered the pay and allowances for police officers in the federated and superintending ranks in England and Wales. The supplement to the forty-eighth annual report of the Senior Salaries Review...