§ Mr. DrewTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will make a statement on the future of the Agricultural Wages Board, with specific reference to the launch of the consultation on its status; and what discussions she has had with (a) farming organisations and (b) the TGWU on this subject. [184436]
§ Alun MichaelI can confirm that Ministers at Defra are fully committed to the continued operation of the Agricultural Wages Board for England and Wales. The Board plays an important role in protecting the interests of agricultural workers including the migrant workers employed on farms.
The Agricultural Wages Board as a non-departmental public body was last reviewed in 1999. There is no longer a requirement to undertake reviews at regular intervals and further reviews will be undertaken by this Department as necessary to confirm that the Board is delivering high quality services efficiently and effectively.
Following the last review of the Board we announced that some aspects of the Board s operation would be modernised. We plan to introduce these changes through a Regulatory Reform Order. We do not intend 240W to reduce the protection given to agricultural workers. However, one of our objectives will be to align the operation of the Agricultural Minimum Wage legislation and general employment law as closely as possible. This will lessen the burden on employers in agriculture and allow them to benefit from the more flexible approach available under the National Minimum Wage legislation (including the revised output work provisions that will be introduced in October).
The Food and Farming Minister Lord Whitty met representatives of the NFU and the Transport and General Workers Union to discuss detailed proposals in January 2003 and November/December 2004. This issue was also raised in a meeting with members of the Transport and General Workers Union on 24 June. A consensus on the way forward is now emerging and we hope to bring forward more detailed proposals for changes to the Agricultural Wages legislation before the end of the year.