11/02/2011

Employment Agency Crackdown In Devon

Employment agency enforcement teams have completed a series of operations in the Exeter region, carrying out 39 visits at the end of January 2011.

Investigators from the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills’ Employment Agency Standards inspectorate (EAS) and Her Majesty’s Revenue and Custom’s (HMRC) National Minimum Wage (NMW) enforcement team took part in the two-day operation following the success of their joint working operation in Leicester.

During the course of the inspections, over 108 breaches of the Conduct of Employment Agencies and Employment Businesses Regulations 2003 were identified. NMW investigators also identified potential breaches of the minimum wage and will follow these up with the agencies involved.

Minister for Employment Relations Edward Davey said: “I am delighted to see the success of this operation and endorse this joint approach by the enforcement bodies. I am certain the advice and guidance given on these visits ensures that agencies that are reputable become compliant, while those who choose to ignore this advice are aware they could be subject to legal proceedings.

“It is important that all employment agencies abide by the law. We must make sure that we protect agency workers and create a level playing field for that vast majority of agencies who play by the rules.”

The decision to target Exeter was based on EAS risk assessment data and intelligence obtained by HMRC’s new Dynamic Response Team - a geographically flexible team that has been put together to target NMW ‘hot spots’ and lead on large and complex NMW cases.

Given the success of this second operation, both EAS and NMW will continue to look at other potential areas to target for future joint operations.

(BMcN)

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