Clause 1
Temporary and Agency Workers (Equal Treatment) Bill
9:30 am
Lorely Burt (Shadow Minister, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform; Solihull, Liberal Democrat)
The debate has been extremely interesting—certainly longer and more involved than I had anticipated when I tabled the amendment—and it has raised a number of important issues. I am particularly concerned about some of the issues raised in the previous sitting by the hon. Member for Carmarthen, East and Dinefwr regarding builders. Having discussed the matter with the Recruitment and Employment Confederation, to whom I am grateful for all its help and guidance, it seems that the issue is not necessarily covered by the Bill, but it is worthy of further investigation in another place. We should have a Westminster Hall debate on it, so that we can get to the bottom of what is happening in the industry. If people are being exploited—I understand that there are loopholes: opportunities for unscrupulous employers and agencies to manipulate self-employment regulations regarding that class of workers—then it is most important for us to address that, although I believe that we should do so separately.
The right hon. Member for East Yorkshire, who is not in his place this morning, raised some interesting issues last week about the entertainment industry. He has tabled an amendment to clause 5, so I look forward to the joy of discussing the matter again. What is important is the illustration of the Bill’s unworkability.