asked the Secretary of State for Employment what delay in implementing the Employment Agencies Act 1973 is attributable to consultations with the Federation of Personnel Services and other bodies; and to what extent such delay is attributable to the amendment sought to the Act and embodied in the Employment Protection Bill.

Consultations on our original proposals for implementing the Act were prolonged since these involved full consideration of the TUC's representations for the abolition of private fee-charging employment agencies. The Government announced in January their decision to proceed with implementation of the Act, after it had been amended so so as to transfer the licensing authority responsibilities to the Secretary of State. We intend to bring the Act into operation as soon as practicable after the passage of the Employment Protection Bill.