Committee writes to Mike Ashley about hearing on 7 June
26 May 2016
The Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) Committee has today written to Mike Ashley regarding the Committee's forthcoming evidence session on working practices at Sports Direct. Mike Ashley received a summons in March to give evidence to the BIS Committee at the Palace of Westminster on Tuesday 7 June.
- Chair to Mike Ashley, 26 May 2016
- Inquiry: Working practices at Sports Direct
- Business, Innovation and Skills Committee
In its letter, the BIS Committee confirms it will not accept Mr Ashley placing conditions on his attendance. The Committee notes Mr Ashley's ability to attend on 7 June and expects Mr Ashley to give evidence on this date on the working practices at Sports Direct. The BIS Committee will not undertake a visit to Shirebrook in advance of the evidence session on 7 June.
Chair's comment
Iain Wright MP, Chair of the Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) Committee said:
"Business leaders regularly give evidence to Select Committees in Westminster without imposing conditions. This is part and parcel of living and operating a business in a parliamentary democracy. It is highly unusual for select committees to have to resort to issuing a summons.
The Business Committee has a number of questions it wishes to ask Mr Ashley on the public record about the treatment of workers at Sports Direct and about the scope, progress, and timetable of the review of working practices which Mr Ashley announced in December. In March, Mr Ashley received a summons to give evidence on 7 June. He has stated in his letter to me that he is available on that date and the committee expects Mr Ashley to attend without conditions being imposed."
At the Committee's public evidence session on 7 June, the Committee hears from representatives of the Unite union - Luke Primarolo, Regional Officer, and Steve Turner, Assistant General Secretary - as part of its inquiry into working practices at Sports Direct. The Committee have invited Andy Sweeney, CE of The Best Connection and Jon Taylor and Paul Beasley, joint CEOs of Transline Group, employment agencies who provide labour to Sports Direct at their Shirebrook warehouse, to give evidence on 7 June.
Correspondence
The BIS Committee has also published recent correspondence between the Committee and Mr Ashley.
- Mike Ashley to Chair, Comments by Peter Kyle, 21 May 2016
- Mike Ashley to Chair, Treatment of employees by Sports Direct, 16 May 2016
- Chair to Mike Ashley, Attendance at Select Committee, 28 April 2016
- Mike Ashley to Chair, Workforce at Shirebrook, 22 April 2016
Following an announcement in December of a review into working practices at Sports Direct led by Mike Ashley, an approach was made in January by the BIS Committee for Mr Ashley to give evidence on working conditions at Sports Direct. After correspondence between the two parties in which Mr Ashley failed to commit to attend an evidence session of the Committee as requested, on 15 March the BIS Committee issued a summons for Mr Ashley to attend on 7 June.
Further information
Image: Parliamentary copyright