Temporary and Agency Workers (Equal Treatment) Bill

My right hon. Friend raises an interesting point about clause 1(2). He may well be right that bonus and loyalty payments may be exempted on the basis of objective grounds, but the Bill does not define objective grounds. The meaning of that phrase may have to be tested in a court of law. It would be incredibly damaging, expensive and time-consuming if every time an employer wished to do something to support a loyal and long-serving member of staff, it faced court action. It would be completely debilitating for businesses to be left in limbo, not knowing what they can and cannot do as a result of the Bill. Therefore, I say again that even those who might agree with the Bill's thrust could not possibly support it because of the uncertainty that it would create.