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

To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they expect agency workers to be able to cover technically skilled roles without relevant training, particularly in cases involving public safety; and if so, how they will ensure safety is maintained.

Employment businesses are currently prohibited, by regulation 7 of the Conduct Regulations, from introducing or supplying temporary agency workers to a hirer to cover striking workers. Employers can already bring in extra staff to cover striking workers if they hire them directly. This change would allow more flexibility for employers when dealing with a strike by allowing them to use agency staff to continue functioning to some extent.

It does not change the requirements for businesses to comply with wider health and safety rules that keep both employees and the public safe. Employers would still have a responsibility to ensure agency workers had all the necessary skills and/or qualifications to meet those obligations.