Committee publication · Correspondence · 15 July 2026
Letter from the Minister for Employment Rights and Consumer Protection relating to a review on Right to Be Accompanied, 7 July 2026
From: Business and Trade Committee
Inquiry: Employment rights
Summary
Kate Dearden MP, Minister for Employment Rights and Consumer Protection, notifies the Business and Trade Committee that the Department for Business and Trade has initiated a six-month review of the Right to Be Accompanied under section 10 of the Employment Relations Act 1999. The review fulfils a commitment made in October 2025 during Employment Rights Act passage and will examine awareness, stakeholder understanding, current usage, and the appropriateness of the companions list.
Key findings
- Review will assess employer and worker awareness of the Right to Be Accompanied
- Scope includes evaluation of how the right is presently being used in practice
- Department will consider whether the current list of eligible companions remains appropriate
- Review will gather evidence and stakeholder feedback from trade unions, business organisations, parliamentarians, and employer representatives
- Findings are expected to be published in Parliament within six months of review completion
Tone
ProceduralTopics
Key actors
Kate Dearden MP, Liam Byrne MP, Department for Business and Trade, Business and Trade Committee, Trade unions, Business representative organisations
Notable line
“The review will consider section 10 of the Employment Relations Act 1999 in its entirety, including how the right currently operates and whether the list of companions is appropriate.”
Key Quotes
“… the Department for Business and Trade has started a review of the Right to be Accompanied. This delivers on our commitment to review this right made in October 2025, during the passage of the Employment Rights Act.”
“The Right to be Accompanied review will have a broad scope.”
“We expect the review to run for a period of six months with findings published in Parliament following completion.”
Source · parliament.uk record ↗