Lord Hain – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hain on 2016-05-18.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the remarks by Baroness Neville-Rolfe on 19 April (HL Deb, col 614), whether they will write to the Welsh Government Minister for Public Services setting out in full their argument that those sections of the Trade Union Bill applying only to devolved public services in Wales are nevertheless reserved matters, and if so, whether they will place a copy of that letter in the Library of the House.

Baroness Neville-Rolfe

Ministers have engaged with the Devolved Administrations on the Trade Union Act.

As part of our engagement, Nick Boles, the policy Minister for the Trade Union Act, has received four letters from Leighton Andrews, Minister for Public Services in the Welsh Government. These letters related to specific aspects of the Act and the Welsh Government position on their applicability in Wales. On 5th February 2016 Nick Boles had a telephone conversation with Leighton Andrews on the Act; and on 4 March, he replied to the letters and has placed a copy of the correspondence in the Library.

As set out throughout its parliamentary passage, the Act is about employment and industrial relations law, which are reserved matters. It will apply consistently across Great Britain, including to public services in Wales.