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Conditions of Employment: Northern Ireland

Asked by Brian LeishmanLabourDepartment for Business and TradeTabled Answered 10 July 2026UIN 15114

The question

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what support his Department has provided to improving workers' rights in Northern Ireland, in the context of the time taken for the Northern Ireland Executive to implement its Good Jobs Bill.

Answered by Kate Dearden

Employment Rights policy is transferred in Northern Ireland. Officials and Ministers from the Department for Business and Trade engage regularly with counterparts in the Northern Ireland Executive on our respective plans to improve workers’ rights. For example, by working together on the Employment Rights Act, we expanded eligibility for statutory sick pay in Northern Ireland by removing the lower earnings limit and waiting period, so it became a day-one entitlement.

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