Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Insecure Employment and Poverty

Monday 18 December 2023 · 3 questions

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 0 Partly answered 2 Not answered 0

Key points

  • John Penrose questioned the Minister about the impact of insecure employment on people in poverty.
  • The Minister acknowledged the importance of different types of work and cited the DWP's in-work progression offer to support low-paid claimants.
  • Stephen Timms inquired about Uber's partnerships to support its drivers, including pension auto-enrollment, highlighting legal uncertainty for some workers.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 John Penrose Con
Employment Benefits & Welfare
Context

The question addresses the potential detrimental effects of insecure employment on individuals living below the poverty line.

Question

What assessment he has made of the potential impact of insecure employment on people in poverty?

Answer from Mims Davies

This Government have made it clear that we believe that work is the best route out of poverty. It is important for different types of work to exist, as each individual worker's circumstances are personal to them, and DWP has an in-work progression offer to support low-paid claimants to progress into better-paid and more secure employment.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The assessment of the impact of insecure employment on people in poverty was not provided.

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Q2 John Penrose Con
Employment Benefits & Welfare
Context

The question explores the need to revisit and update the Taylor Review's recommendations considering the changes in the job market due to the pandemic.

Question

Does the Minister agree that the difference between insecure or exploitative work and going plural with a portfolio of well-paid freelance or part-time roles depends on how valuable someone's skills are? Ministers are rightly offering fresh opportunities for jobseekers to improve their skills, but in a post-pandemic world that is very different from what went before, what plans does she have to revisit and update the recommendations of the Taylor review to protect people whose skills have not yet been upgraded?

Answer from Mims Davies

I thank my hon. Friend for making that point. As someone who was self-employed for not far off 15 years, I understand where he is coming from. Our work coaches at Jobcentre Plus offices engage with claimants to support access to skills provision. They get a comprehensive range of support, which includes apprenticeships, skills bootcamps, vocational and basic training skills, and careers advice, so that they can work in a way that suits them.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The specific plans to revisit the Taylor Review's recommendations were not addressed.

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Q3 Stephen Timms Lab East Ham
Employment Business Compliance
Context

The question concerns the Government's commitment to bring forward an Employment Bill following the recommendations from the Taylor Review, aiming for a level playing field in the gig economy.

Question

Last week, Uber came to Parliament to brief MPs on partnerships it has set up to support its drivers, including its recognition agreement with the GMB trade union. All Uber private hire drivers are now auto-enrolled into a pension, but legal uncertainty means that that is not the case for Uber's competitors. Is it not high time for the Government to bring forward their employment Bill, which was promised after the Taylor review, to provide a level playing field for employers and to tackle these problems of insecurity in the gig economy?

Answer from Mims Davies

I thank the Chair of the Select Committee for his question. In fact, I have an Uber T-shirt from my time as employment Minister, which the company gave me when it brought in the pension. I applaud the work that Uber has done to support its workforce.

Not addressed: The issue of bringing forward an Employment Bill was entirely avoided.

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