Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will bring forward legislation to ban finders fees being imposed by teaching supply agencies where a school seeks to appoint on a permanent basis a supply teacher originally provided by those agencies.

The Department is aware of concerns raised regarding the level of fees charged by some agencies when offering a supply teacher permanent employment. Whilst there are no immediate plans to legislate in this area, the Department is working with Crown Commercial Service to develop a new commercial framework for schools aimed at bringing consistency and transparency of cost to this area.

The new arrangement will address inconsistent practices of some agencies and the levels of mark-up charged as well as the issue of finders’ fees. It is anticipated that the new commercial deal will be available for use by schools from September 2018.