Temporary and Agency Workers (Equal Treatment) Bill

My hon. Friend is absolutely right: the Bill is fundamentally flawed not only in its approach, but in what it seeks to achieve. Hopefully, the Minister can reassure the House regarding the amendments that will be sought in Committee, should the Bill be granted its Second Reading today. It may be accepted that a reasonable qualifying period should allow for equal treatment with a user firm's staff, but even permanent staff do not receive full employment rights until they have completed a probation period. There is no overall agreement on this issue, although the CBI believes that a period of 12 months would be appropriate; this is on a par with other time-related employment rights such as protection against unfair dismissal.