§ Mr. YeoTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will make a statement on the cost to the(a) private and (b) public sectors of the proposed European Agency Workers Directive. [74519]
§ Ms HewittThe Government is currently consulting UK business, unions and others on the impact of the proposed directive. We remain concerned that, as currently drafted the proposed directive would impose disproportionate cost and administrative burdens on business, and would reduce routes into employment for many workers. Our initial estimate of the cost to user undertakings of the proposed Temporary [Agency] Workers Directive, as currently drafted, is in the range from £250 million to £402 million, as stated in the Regulatory Impact Assessment, which is available in the Libraries of the Houses. It is estimated that 21 per cent. of these costs would be borne by the public sector and 79 per cent. by the private sector. In addition, it is estimated that there are costs in the range of £80 million to £194 million which would be borne by private sector employment agencies.