HC Deb 15 March 2004 vol 419 c63W
Mrs. Curtis-Thomas

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many residents of Crosby have benefited from a reduction of the working week to 48 hours. [160542]

Mr. Sutcliffe

The Working Time Regulations provide workers with the right not to work more than 48 hours if they want to. Numbers for Crosby are not available, however it has been estimated that around 50,000 workers resident in Merseyside stood to benefit from the introduction of the weekly working time limits in 1998.

Mrs. Curtis-Thomas

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will make a statement on the benefits to residents of Crosby of new rights for night-shift workers. [160527]

Mr. Sutcliffe

The Working Time Regulations limit working time to 48 hours per week averaged over a 17-week reference period. For night workers the limit is eight hours per day on average, including overtime where it is part of a night worker's normal hours of work. There is no opt-out from the night working time limit.

Night workers are entitled to 11 hours rest between working days, one day's rest per week, and a 20-minute in work rest break if the working period is longer than 6 hours.

All night workers should be offered a free health assessment before they start working night and thereafter at regular intervals for as long as they are working nights. The health assessments should take account of the nature of the work and the restrictions on a worker's working time under the regulations. Workers who suffer from problems as a result of working at night, should as far as practicable be offered alternative day work.

All workers are entitled to four weeks paid annual leave. There are no specific data available for night shift workers in Crosby.

Mrs. Curtis-Thomas

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many residents of Crosby benefit from the right to four weeks paid holiday. [160540]

Mr. Sutcliffe

All workers resident in Crosby benefit from the right to four weeks paid holiday set out in the Working Time Regulations.