Employment Bill [Lords]

It is my view that the provisions are a tidying-up exercise, closing loopholes in legislation. It would be reasonable for the Minister to announce some consultation on appropriate delegated legislation that could deal with the problem. That would be entirely within the spirit and conform to the principle of the Government's intentions in 2003. In this difficult economic period, we all hope that we can protect people in their jobs, secure their employment and, above all else, prevent exploitation, victimisation and unfair treatment. The three new clauses will go some way towards providing limited protection in the more difficult economic environment in which we all now operate. I hope that the Government will think seriously about balloting procedures, so I will want to test the will of the House on new clause 2. On new clauses 1 and 3, I would welcome a statement from the Minister that there are issues to be addressed and that the Government will look into how to address them, perhaps by consulting hon. Members, trade unions and employers to see how best to move forward and ensure a good industrial relations climate in the coming period. At the very least, we should attempt to ensure fairness and prevent unequal and unfair treatment.