§ Mr. BellinghamTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what action her Department is taking to tackle the activities of rogue recruitment agencies; and if she will make a statement. [168895]
§ Mr. SutcliffeThe DTIs Employment Agency Standards Inspectorate enforces the legislation regulating the activities of the private recruitment industry. Inspectors visit agencies' premises to examine their records. The Inspectorate can prosecute an agency found to be in breach of the legislation and the maximum fined is £5,000 for each offence. It can also apply to an employment tribunal for an order prohibiting an individual from operating an agency or employment business for up to 10 years.
I remain committed to tackling the problem of those agencies and employment businesses that breach legislation governing their industry. To this end, we have recently completely overhauled the Conduct Regulations the Inspectorate enforce and undertaken a number of innovative activities to help ensure migrant workers do not fall victim to rogue employment agencies. Moreover, Employment Agency Standards Inspectors follow up every complaint received concerning breaches of the employment agency legislation and also undertake spot checks.