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Minister praises and warns private recruitment sector

5 August 2010

The Minister for Employment and Learning, Sir Reg Empey, today welcomed the publication of the second Employment Agency Inspectors Annual Report.

The report provides a summary of what the Department’s Employment Agency Inspectors have achieved over the past year, and sets out potential future developments within Northern Ireland’s private recruitment sector. It also points to some of the key conclusions from research commissioned by the Department into the NI private recruitment sector, as well as highlighting the recent completion of the Department’s Employment Act and the resulting increased powers available to the Department in regulating the recruitment sector.

Commenting on the report the Minister said: “The private recruitment sector in Northern Ireland provides an important degree of flexibility for both job-seekers and hirers and it will continue to play a vital role in supporting our economic recovery. The experience of my Department’s Employment Agency Inspectors is that the vast majority of agencies are reputable and professional and I and my Department will continue to support the growth of this sector.”

The Department for Employment and Learning’s Employment Act (Northern Ireland) 2010 became law on 3 August 2010 and contains new enforcement powers to provide the Department with greater powers to deal with employment agencies that break the law. The new powers include enabling the Department to try cases in the Crown Court, which has the power to issue unlimited fines, to request financial information from agencies or, if necessary, from third parties such as banks, and to share information on agencies suspected of non-compliance with National Minimum Wage Compliance Officers.

Sir Reg continued: “My Department is fully aware of its duty to ensure that the sector is properly regulated and that those few rogue employment agencies who would attempt to abuse vulnerable workers, or break the law and gain unfair competitive advantage, will be dealt with severely. As a result of the recent Employment Act, my Department now has greater powers to take action against rogue agencies and will have no hesitation in using its full powers to tackle such agencies harder and faster.”

Notes to editors:

  1. The second Department for Employment and Learning Employment Agency Inspectorate Annual Report covers the period from April 2009 to March 2010 and can be found on the Department’s website at: http://www.delni.gov.uk/privaterecruitmentsector-2ndreport
  2. The recruitment industry is regulated by the Employment Agency Inspectorate within the Department for Employment and Learning under the Employment (Miscellaneous Provisions) (NI) Order 1981 and the Conduct of Employment Agencies and Employment Businesses Regulations (NI) 2005. The Inspectorate carries out inspections of agencies on the basis of the perceived risk of non-compliance and also investigates complaints about agency conduct.
  3. The Department commissioned Millward Brown Ulster Ltd to carry out research into the private recruitment sector in NI. The research estimates that there were 270 companies operating in the recruitment sector in September 2009. The full report can be found at: http://www.delni.gov.uk/private-recruitment-sector-ni.htm
  4. All media queries should be directed to the Department for Employment and Learning Communications Branch on 028 9025 7872. Out of office hours please contact the Duty Press Officer via pager number 07699 715 440 and your call will be returned.