Employment Bill [HL]

With the greatest respect to the noble Lord and the noble Baroness, I oppose the amendment. I accept the problem as recognised by the judiciary by convention and I accept the erudite exposition of the noble Lord, Lord Wedderburn, but this is without the Long Title of the Bill. Of course, there is a problem with these agency workers and, as the noble Baroness said, the matter is receiving attention in another place. However, the Long Title of the Bill is concerned only with the, "““enforcement of offences under the Employment Agencies Act””." That assuredly has nothing to do with what we are told is the triangular status of these agency workers, which of course I accept. The problem cannot be addressed in this Bill, because it goes totally beyond its ambit. The matter has previously attracted the attention of the noble Lord, Lord James of Blackheath, in your Lordships’ House, who has spoken to the matter forcefully. He was very concerned by the problem of agency workers. Amendment No. 25 contains a reference to his concern, reflecting what he said in your Lordships’ House. I am in no sense trying to get at the merits of the argument. A serious problem has to be addressed, but assuredly not by this Bill. At least, that is what I suggest.