§ 14. Mr. Jannerasked the Secretary of State for Employment whether he will take steps to ensure regular meetings of the homeworking advisory committee.
§ Mr. GummerWe have no plans at present to reconvene the committee.
§ Mr. JannerIs the Minister aware that homeworkers and outworkers are largely unprotected by any employment legislation and, as a result, are among the most exploited section of our work force and are treated in many areas nearly as slave labourers? Is he not prepared to do anything to help them by reactivating the committee or otherwise?
§ Mr. GummerIt is because I take this matter so seriously — [HON. MEMBERS: "Ah!"] Hon. Gentlemen may say "Ah!", but if they listen to the answer they might say "Hooray!" We are concerned to conduct a systematic research programme to identify precisely the problems and where they are so that we can give them sensible answers. I am sure that the hon. and learned Member agrees that it is better that we act on information rather than the generalisation that he puts forward.
§ Ms. RichardsonDoes the Minister recognise that this problem did not arise yesterday? Much research has taken place on homeworking which is, more than any other form of employment, a cheap way for employers to deal with labour. Does he not realise that this issue affects many hundreds of thousands of women in the country who are badly paid, and who must provide their own equipment and the cost of heating and lighting? Will he please do something about the matter urgently?
§ Mr. GummerThe hon. Lady does her case no good by suggesting that all homeworking is bad and that all employers are paying badly. [Interruption.] If she re-reads her question, she will find that it was put in exactly those terms. To ensure that we deal with the abuses but do not lose the jobs, we are getting the facts rather than relying on some generalisation of party political comments.