PARLIAMENTARY WRITTEN QUESTION
Employment Agencies (11 November 2014)

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how many (a) inspections, (b) prosecutions and (c) convictions were conducted by the Employment Agency Standards Inspectorate in 2013-14.

Asked by:
Emily Thornberry (Labour)

The Employment Agency Standards (EAS) inspectorate carried out 130 visits to employment agencies between 1 April 2013 and 31 March 2014. These are split into four categories:

Visits not related to a specific complaint – 22

Visits related to a specific complaint – 36

Targeted visits relating to a specific sector or geographic area – 46

Visits related to a specific complaint which included a full inspection – 26

During the same period, EAS brought seven prosecutions in the Magistrate’s Court, and in five of these obtained convictions against the individuals and companies involved.

During this period EAS also brought proceedings at the Employment Tribunal, to prohibit two individuals from being involved in running or owning employment agencies or employment businesses. Both were successful with one individual being prohibited for a period of seven years and the other for 10 years.

Answered by:
Jo Swinson (Liberal Democrat)
19 November 2014