Speeches by Darling.

“I draw the Committee’s attention to the fact that we are looking at employers that employ over 250 individuals, so the new clause would far from impact smaller businesses. I have grave concerns that the Government believe they have all the time in the world and expect that there will be a second glorious term for the L…”

“I beg to move, That the clause be read a Second time. The new clause relates to volunteering and giving leave to volunteers. It would require a consultation, so I hope that the Government will grasp it with both hands. It feels like their modus operandi on the Bill is for a vast majority of it to go out to further cons…”

“Although I am disappointed that the new clause has fallen on stony ground, it was only a probing amendment, so I beg to ask leave to withdraw the motion. Clause, by leave, withdrawn. New Clause 38 Time off for volunteering: consultation “(1) The Secretary of State must consult on the introduction of a requirement for e…”

“Throughout our debates, Conservative colleagues have been critical of the Government for not having an oven-ready Bill and emphasising the need for further consultation. I have sympathy with that, as does my hon. Friend the Member for Chippenham. However, the last Conservative amendment that we will consider in Committ…”

“I beg to ask leave to withdraw the motion. Clause, by leave, withdrawn. New Clause 51 Access to employment rights: workers on temporary visas “(1) The Secretary of State must, within six months of this Act being passed, commission an independent report on the extent to which workers on temporary visas are able to asser…”

“I thank the Minister for her encouraging words. I beg to ask leave to withdraw the motion. Clause, by leave, withdrawn. New Clause 37 Right to be accompanied “(1) Section 10 of the Employment Relations Act 1999 (right to be accompanied) is amended as follows. (2) In subsection (3), after paragraph (b) insert— ‘(ba) a p…”

“I beg to move, That the clause be read a Second time. The new clause is an opportunity to extend carer’s leave across the whole of Great Britain. I hope it falls on more fertile ground than the previous new clause. There are 10.6 million carers across the United Kingdom, yet only 2.5 million are actually in paid employ…”

“It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Sir Christopher. I rise to strongly support the new clause. We have seen throughout our debates in Committee that there are opportunities for changing the weather around our employment world, whether it is around foster carers, adoption or volunteering—the subject of n…”

“I beg to move, That the clause be read a Second time. The new clause would ensure that workers in the early stages of an employment dispute, such as a disciplinary or grievance hearing, can be supported by those who are qualified, rather than just by trade union representatives or similar colleagues. It would allow for…”

“I congratulate the right hon. Member South Holland and the Deepings (Sir John Hayes) on securing this really important debate. When one reflects on there being more WASPI women in the United Kingdom than the population of Wales, it demonstrates how this is a massive issue for this United Kingdom. In my constituency the…”

“Yes, and my hon. Friend also reminds me of Marilyn in my constituency, who suffered a significant illness and would have benefited from compensation—as would Pam, who cared for two terminally-ill family members. I totally agree with my hon. Friend. What a baptism of fire this is for the new Minister, but we need him to…”

“I beg to move, That the clause be read a Second time.”

“I thank the Minister for that reassurance. In the light of that, I beg to ask leave to withdraw the motion. Clause, by leave, withdrawn. New Clause 19 Consultation on trade union legislation “(1) The Secretary of State must initiate a consultation on— (a) the operation of the Trade Union and Labour Relations (Consolida…”

“Apologies, Ms Vaz; I was somewhat premature on the previous item. I pay tribute to my hon. Friend the Member for Twickenham, who has highlighted this matter and proposed this new clause on kinship care. The kinship care APPG discussed this proposal and was mostly in favour of it. The number of children in our United Ki…”

“I beg to move, That the clause be read a Second time.”

“I will just share with colleagues that this measure was part of the commitments in the Liberal Democrats’ fully costed manifesto. I thank the Minister for their reassurances. I beg to ask leave to withdraw the motion. Clause, by leave, withdrawn. New Clause 14 Kinship care leave “(1) The Employment Rights Act 1996 is a…”

“That is fine. As I said, the new clause is about supporting the family, and I hope the Minister will give serious consideration to our proposals. Apologies for misunderstanding, Ms Vaz.”

“I beg to move, That the clause be read a Second time. I thank my hon. Friend the Member for Twickenham (Munira Wilson) for assisting in tabling the new clause, which is about ensuring that we put the family at the heart of our society by doubling the rates of maternity, paternity, adoption, shared paternity and parenta…”

“I welcome the Minister’s reassurances and I beg to ask leave to withdraw the clause. Clause, by leave, withdrawn. New Clause 12 Substitution Clauses “(1) Any agreement, whether a contract or otherwise, between— (a) an employer or a contractor of services, and (b) an employee, worker or dependent contractor must not inc…”

“It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Ms Vaz. When I became an MP, I never thought that I would be standing before a Committee talking about clause 4. However, this is not about public ownership but is actually about non-disclosure agreements. Non-disclosure agreements were originally about keeping trade s…”