Written questions by Law.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of implementing an employer pays principle to help tackle (a) debt bondage and (b) labour exploitation of workers on the Seasonal Worker visa.

Together with the Seasonal Worker Scheme Taskforce, Defra jointly funded an independent investigation into the feasibility of applying the ‘employer pays principle’ to the horticulture sector, to understand how financial risks faced by workers can be mitigated. The Government has considered the findings of the report but has no plans to mandate implementation of the employer pays principle in the horticulture sector. Welfare protections are already in place through the licensing and inspection processes provided by the Home Office and its agencies: the Gangmasters and Labour Abuse Authority and UK Visas and Immigration.

Food and Rural Affairs, if he will meet with the Seasonal Worker Interest Group to discuss worker welfare on the Seasonal Worker visa.

The Home Office, in collaboration with Defra, is arranging a meeting on seasonal worker welfare issues hosted by the Minister for Farming, Daniel Zeichner, and the Minister for Migration, Seema Malhotra MP, later this month. Invitations have been sent to the Seasonal Worker Interest Group, and other interested parties, for this event, which will provide an opportunity to discuss these matters further.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether he has had discussions with the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government on the regulation of tied-accommodation for seasonal agricultural workers.

Defra, Home Office, and Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government Ministers and their Officials regularly engage regarding a range of issues, including accommodation standards for seasonal workers. The Government will work collaboratively on this issue, across the relevant departments, to improve the rights and protections for seasonal workers. We are exploring approaches at the national and local authority level and through engagement with the sector itself.