Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, with reference to reports that Google delayed correcting a known disparity in pay between temporary and permeant staff, if his Department will investigate (a) Google's employment practices and (b) whether that company has been fully compliant with requirements of employment legislation in the last five years.

An agency worker can qualify for equal treatment after working for 12 weeks in the same role with the same hirer. From April 2020 the Government banned the use of “Swedish Derogation” contracts. This ensures that agency workers cannot be pressured to opt out of their right to equal pay with permanent counterparts after the twelve-week qualifying period in the same role with the same hirer. While I cannot comment on individual cases, if somebody believes these requirements have not been met then it is open to them to seek redress through the Employment Tribunals system.