Mr Henry Bellingham (North West Norfolk, Conservative)

Clause 12 concerns the means of communicating with workers. I ask the Minister to refer to new paragraph 166A(2) of schedule A1, which states:

''The Secretary of State may by order provide that the employer must give to the CAC (in addition to the worker's home address) an address of a specified kind for the worker.''

That appears to give power to the Secretary of State to intervene in a particular dispute, because the word ''employer'' in this context presumably means a specific employer, rather than employers in general. It would not be drafted in that way if that were not the case.

Mr Gerry Sutcliffe (Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Employment Relations, Competition and Consumers), Department of Trade and Industry; Bradford South, Labour)

The hon. Gentleman is not correct that we are attacking an individual employer. The provision gives the Secretary of State the power, in the light of the provisions of the previous clause, to extend the possibilities for contacting workers by whatever means is appropriate, for instance, by e-mail or other computer technology. Who is to say what the future may bring in terms of communication with employees?

Mr Peter Atkinson (Hexham, Conservative)

What happens if the worker does not want his or her address to be given by the employer to the CAC?

Mr Gerry Sutcliffe (Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Employment Relations, Competition and Consumers), Department of Trade and Industry; Bradford South, Labour)

That returns to the debate that we had this morning on what is reasonable. An application can be made by the employee to the CAC about their concerns over why the use of a particular address would not be appropriate. There is a procedure by which the individual can object on reasonable grounds, but the CAC will decide whether it is reasonable.

Question put and agreed to.

Clause 12 ordered to stand part of the Bill.