Frank Field – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Frank Field on 2016-07-20.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many people working for his Department or its executive agencies on a (a) directly employed, (b) agency or (c) outsourced basis are paid less than the living wage as defined by the Living Wage Foundation; and how many of those people are employed on zero-hours contracts.

Joseph Johnson

As at 1 August 2016 (following the implementation of the 2016 pay award) there are no direct employees in the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (former Department for Business, Innovation and Skills or former Department for Energy and Climate Change) paid less than the living wage as defined by the Living Wage Foundation.

As at this date there are no agency staff in former DECC paid less than the living wage as defined by the Living Wage Foundation.

There are 5 agency staff in former BIS paid less than the Living Wage Foundation’s definition. However, all 5 are paid more than the Government’s Living Wage rate of £7.20 per hour.

We do not centrally hold details of the pay levels of staff working for outsourced companies contracted by former BIS. Arm Length Bodies linked to former DECC have confirmed that they pay all their employees above the level set by the Living Wage Foundation.

There are no employees on zero hours contracts.

I have asked Chief Executives of the executive agencies of former BIS to respond directly to the Hon. Member.