§ Lord Wedderburn of Charltonasked Her Majesty's Government:
When they expect to implement European Community Council Directive 23 of 2001, dated 12 March 2001, on the approximation of the laws of member states relating to the safeguarding of employees' rights in the event of transfers of undertakings, businesses or parts of undertakings or businesses; and what is the reason for the delay in consultations on this directive. [HL2984]
§ The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Trade and Industry (Lord Sainsbury of Turville):The existing provisions of the Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations 1981—the TUPE Regulations—meet the requirements of the 2001 directive, which was a consolidation of earlier directives. The Government nevertheless proposes to amend the TUPE Regulations in order to improve their operation, and has been carrying out an extensive process of consultation on its proposals. We announced in February that the next stage in this process, formal 145WA public consulation on draft revised regulations, will take place later this year. We aim to have the revised regulations in force by April 2004. Consideration of the issue of protection of occupational pension rights on transfer is, however, being taken forward separately in the context of the reform of pensions legislation, and was addressed in the DWP/HMT Green Paper Pensions in the Workplace last December.