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Employment (Miscellaneous Provisions) (Northern Ireland) Order 2005

rose to move, That the draft order laid before the House on 24 October be approved. The noble Lord said: My Lords, the main purpose of the draft Employment (Miscellaneous Provisions)(Northern Ireland) Order 2005 is to provide powers of entry to and inspection of employment agencies and employment businesses in order to ascertain compliance with regulations governing such bodies operating from premises in Northern Ireland. It will help protect the interests of the recruitment industry’s users, both the work-seekers and the hirers. The provisions are broadly in line with those already in force in Great Britain and, in line with Great Britain, the department will carry out a programme of targeted inspections. Consultation on the draft order confirmed general support for these proposals, including support from the recruitment industry itself. In addition, the order will amend the Fair Employment and Treatment (Northern Ireland) Order 1998, commonly known as FETO, to harmonise criteria for certain appointments to industrial tribunals and the Fair Employment Tribunal, and clarify the Fair Employment Tribunal’s power to enforce costs awards. In conclusion, I commend the order to your Lordships’ House as an opportunity to safeguard the interests of clients using employment agencies and employment businesses. We are convinced that the provisions will result in increased confidence for users of the recruitment industry in Northern Ireland. I beg to move. Moved, That the draft order laid before the House on 24 October be approved.—(Lord Rooker.)