§ Lord Inglewoodasked Her Majesty's Government:
What action they have taken against gangmasters who treat their "employees" like slaves, and how many court proceedings there have been in respect of such gangmasters. [HL1258]
97WA
§ The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Work and Pensions (Baroness Hollis of Heigham)The illegality associated with informal economy gangmasters is addressed by several government departments as part of their normal law enforcement functions. For example, the Department for Work and Pensions has an investigation resource that seeks out and prosecutes persons who are in paid employment while claiming benefit, some of whom work for gangmasters.
In addition to these efforts, we have established within this department a unit responsible for gathering and collating information specifically on gangmasters. Where justified, this department sponsors joint operations involving all of the relevant departments, including the Department of Trade and Industry, Home Office, Inland Revenue and Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.
No statistics are available on the totality of enforcement action against gangmasters across government.