Apsco Political Monitor Week Commencing 10Th June 2013

APSCo Political Monitor Week commencing 10th June 2013

Weekly round-up of the political developments regarding topics most relevant to our industry

Information provided by Luther Pendragon.

Contents

Westminster ...... 2 BIS...... 2 Vince Cable on zero-hours contracts ...... 2 Parliament ...... 2 Written Question: Conditions of Employment...... 2 Written Question: Conditions of Employment...... 3 Written Question: PAYE ...... 3 Written Question: Capita...... 4 Written Question: Vetting ...... 4

Luther Pendragon Limited. Registered Company No. 2634095, England. Registered Office: As above. Email: [email protected] Website: www.luther.co.uk

Westminster

BIS

Vince Cable on zero-hours contracts

Vince Cable has ordered a review of zero-hours contracts, saying:

“In the last decade, there has been a steady rise in the number of zero hour contracts.

“For some these can be the right sort of employment contract, giving workers a choice of working patterns. However for a contract that is now more widely used, we know relatively little about its effect on employers and employees. There has been anecdotal evidence of abuse by certain employers – including in the public sector – of some vulnerable workers at the margins of the labour market.

“Whilst it’s important our workforce remains flexible, it is equally important that it is treated fairly. This is why I have asked my officials to undertake some work to better understand how this type of contract is working in practice today.”

Parliament

Written Question: Conditions of Employment

Pamela Nash, (Lab, Airdrie and Shotts): To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many people in his Department are employed on zero-hours contracts.

Brandon Lewis, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government: The Department for Communities and Local Government currently has one senior civil servant in a professional role on a zero-hours contract. The individual is Sir Ken Knight who moved to a zero-hour contract on 1 November 2012. This is a short-term arrangement for Sir Ken to complete a review of the operational efficiency of the services delivered by the fire and rescue authorities in England and to give the Department access to professional advice during the appointment of and handover to a new Chief Fire and Rescue Adviser.

The arrangement is due to finish at the end of June 2013.

Luther Pendragon Limited. Registered Company No. 2634095, England. Registered Office: As above. Email: [email protected] Website: www.luther.co.uk

Written Question: Conditions of Employment

Rehman Chishti, (Con, Gillingham and Rainham): To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many people are working on zero hours contracts in (a) Gillingham and Rainham constituency and (b) Medway.

Nick Hurd (Parliamentary Secretary, Cabinet Office): The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.

Letter from Glen Watson, dated June 2013:

As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking how many people are working on zero hours contracts in (a) Gillingham and Rainham constituency and (b) Medway (158700).

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) compiles labour market statistics for local areas from the Annual Population Survey (APS), following International Labour Organisation (ILO) definitions. Estimates of the number of zero hour contracts are not available from this source. Estimates of the number of people on zero- hours contracts are available from the Labour Force Survey, but due to sample size are not available for areas smaller than regions.

National and local area estimates for many labour market statistics, including employment, unemployment and claimant count are available on the IMOMIS website at:

http://www.nomisweb.co.uk

Written Question: PAYE

Dr Matthew Offord (Con, Hendon): To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) what assessment his Department has made of the benefit to employers of the real-time information system;

(2) what assessment his Department has made of the capacity of the real-time information system to deliver time and cost savings to employers.

David Gauke, Exchequer Secretary to HM Treasury, Conservative, South West Hertfordshire:0020HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) published a Tax Information and Impact Note (TIIN) on 15 March 2013 that included an updated assessment of the impact that PAYE real time information (RTI) will have on businesses.

HMRC has commissioned independent research exploring the impact of RTI on all employers in the pilot. This research is looking at confidence levels, ease and the overall impact of RTI on the employers' businesses. The findings will be used in

Luther Pendragon Limited. Registered Company No. 2634095, England. Registered Office: As above. Email: [email protected] Website: www.luther.co.uk

conjunction with a wider evaluation of the pilot, which will include an assessment of the impacts on HMRC. The TIIN will be updated later this year using that evidence.

Written Question: Capita

Barry Sheerman (Lab, Huddersfield): To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how much his Department currently spends on contracts with Capita; and how much was spent in each year since 2008.

Gregory Barker, Energy Minister: The Department has contracted Capita Business Resources, Capita Resourcing Ltd, Capita Health and Wellbeing, Capita Symonds and Capita Business Services to carry out various roles on behalf of the Department.

The total amount spent in each financial year:

Financial year £

2008-09(1) 36,439,250

2009-10 33,294,201

2010-11 7,564,880

2011-12 3,331,912

2012-13 7,354,789

(1 )From October 2008.

These figures include funds administered by Capita on behalf of the Department as well as management fees etc.

Written Question: Vetting

Ian Austin, Shadow Minister for Work and Pensions: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what steps he has taken to ensure that the Information Commissioner's Office is proactively informing individuals who are on the blacklist of construction workers compiled by the Consulting Association.

Helen Grant, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Women and Equalities): The Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) is the independent regulatory body responsible for enforcing the Data Protection Act 1998 in the UK. Any individual can check whether they may have been on the Consulting Association blacklist by contacting the ICO's fast track service helpline on 0303 123 1113 between 9 am and 5 pm, Monday to Friday. To date 3,652 individuals

Luther Pendragon Limited. Registered Company No. 2634095, England. Registered Office: As above. Email: [email protected] Website: www.luther.co.uk

have contacted the helpline, and copies of personal data held in the files have been provided to 385 individuals.

The ICO has also responded positively to calls upon them to proactively contact people who may not otherwise have been made aware of the issue. For instance, it has worked with a credit reference agency in order to reach such individuals. The ICO is pursuing a matching exercise involving national insurance numbers which they hope will enable them to contact more individuals. The ICO has also provided some information under confidentiality agreements to trade unions who have carried out their own matching exercises. As a result of this individuals are either contacting the ICO directly or the ICO is providing information to them via legal representatives of the union.

Luther Pendragon Limited. Registered Company No. 2634095, England. Registered Office: As above. Email: [email protected] Website: www.luther.co.uk