§ Miss McIntoshTo ask the Minister for Women what the implications will be for(a) women employed as temporary agency workers in Government Departments and (b) for the Government as their employees of the European Agency Workers Directive. [118409]
§ Ms HewittThe Directive is currently under discussion at the European level, and until a final version is agreed, its implications will remain unclear. There is a risk that additional costs arising as a result of the Directive may reduce employment opportunities for temporary agency workers, including for women in the public sector. The Government are working to ensure that the Directive protects temporary agency workers without putting their jobs at risk.
We believe that the impact of the Directive, as it is currently drafted, on the hourly pay of female temporary agency workers in the public sector would be insignificant and will not have any significant impact on public sector costs.
An assessment of the overall impact of the Directive as drafted is detailed in the regulatory impact assessment, of which the House Library has a copy.