§ Mr. MacleanTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what is the estimated compliance cost of the most recent agricultural wages order. [58454]
§ Mr. RookerAgricultural wages orders are made by the Agricultural Wages Board which is an independent statutory body. The Board's most recent order, the Agricultural Wages Order 1998 (No. 2) came into effect on 1 October 1998. This order introduced a number of changes to bring the terms of the order into line with the provisions of the Working Time Regulations 1998, which also came into effect on 1 October. The most significant changes introduced were the extension of leave entitlements to casual workers who have been employed by the same employer for 13 weeks, and an entitlement to an unpaid 30 minute rest break.
Information on the compliance costs associated with the implementation of the Working Time Regulations is given in Annexe E to the consultation paper "Measures to Implement Provisions of the EC Directives on the Organisation of Working Time and the Protection of Young People at Work" (URN: 98/645). This was issued by the Department of Trade and Industry in April 1998.