This House of Lords Library briefing has been prepared in advance of the second reading in the House of Lords of the Unpaid Work Experience (Prohibition) Bill [HL] on 27 October 2017
Unpaid Work Experience (Prohibition) Bill [HL] (148 KB , PDF)
The Unpaid Work Experience (Prohibition) Bill [HL] 2017–19 is a private member’s bill introduced by Lord Holmes of Richmond (Conservative). It had its first reading on 27 June 2017, and is due to have its second reading on 27 October 2017. The Bill contains two clauses, and would prohibit unpaid work experience lasting for longer than four weeks, by making it compulsory for employers to pay the national minimum wage to individuals undertaking such work experience. This would apply across the United Kingdom.
Key Provisions
The Bill would amend the National Minimum Wage Act 1998, so that the Act applies to individuals “participating in a scheme designed to provide work experience for a continuous or non-continuous period which exceeds four weeks”. Individuals undertaking work experience with the same employer for more than four weeks, who are above compulsory school age but under the age of 26, would receive the rate of the national minimum wage in accordance with their age. The Bill would clarify the definition of ‘employer’ in the Act to include “any organisation which provides an individual with work experience”. The Bill defines ‘work experience’ to mean “observing, replicating, assisting with and carrying out any task with the aim of gaining experience of a particular workplace, organisation, industry or work-related activity”.
Unpaid Work Experience (Prohibition) Bill [HL] (148 KB , PDF)
The National Insurance Contributions (Secondary Class 1 Contributions) Bill would implement the changes to employer national insurance contributions announced by Chancellor Rachel Reeves in the 2024 autumn budget.
The number of young people with special educational needs and disabilities has increased in recent years, prompting concerns about quality of SEND provision and the impact on local authority finances. A report by the National Audit Office in October 2024 concluded that, without reform, the costs of the SEND system were unsustainable. In the 2024 autumn budget, the Labour government announced an increase in education spending of £11.2bn from 2023/24 levels by 2025/26, with £1bn earmarked for SEND funding.
Academic research suggests that mobile phones in schools can adversely affect pupils’ educational attainment and contribute to problems such as bullying. But some experts point to potential learning benefits and argue that a blanket ban on phones could prove ineffective and counterproductive. Government guidance discourages the use of phones in schools but defers to school leaders on prohibiting their use. Most schools in England already have policies limiting the use of phones.
