Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment his Department has of the potential impact of removing the waiting period for statutory sick pay on the number of claims made by agency workers; and what steps he plans to take to ensure that the removal of the waiting period does not result in fraudulent or duplicate claims from agency workers.

Strengthening Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) is part of the Government’s commitment to implement our Plan to Make Work Pay. The Government conducted a Regulatory Impact Assessment here on the impact of the SSP measures, including the removal of the waiting period in the Employment Rights Bill.

Whilst this is not a specific assessment on the impact on recruitment agencies or agency workers, the Government believes that the SSP measures strike the right balance between providing financial security to employees and limiting additional costs to employers, including agencies. The Bill ensures that people who work through employment agencies and employment businesses have comparable rights and protections to their counterparts who are directly employed. Employers, including those in the recruitment sector, are best placed to manage sickness absences and ensuring employees receive appropriate support. If employers have the right policies and practices in place, risks of inappropriate absenteeism can be mitigated.

The Government intends to conduct a post-implementation review (PIR) of the Employment Rights Bill within five years of implementation. The impact of the measures to strengthen Statutory Sick Pay will be monitored on employers and employees alike. This can include considering the impact on workers in the agency sector.