In your corner: REC Campaigns and Policy news - 25 March 2021

Spring is here, and so is election season. We may still be in lockdown but candidates for Scottish Parliament, Welsh Assembly and English Mayoral seats will be on the campaign trail hoping to get votes ahead of the elections in May. As part of the REC’s  Recruitment for Recovery campaign, we have written to candidates asking them to sign-up to the REC’s Good Recruitment Charter if elected.

Get IR35 ready with REC and HMRC

On Wednesday 31 March, the REC will be hosting a IR35 support webinar with HMRC. Representatives from HMRC will be on the line to run through some of the practical issues and steps recruiters will need to have in place for the new rules and will answer your questions on how the new rules operate. Free places can be booked here

Supply teachers and furlough

Last week the REC attended a meeting with Lord Watson of Invergowrie to discuss the ongoing issues with supply teachers and furlough. Following the meeting Lord Watson has agreed to raise the REC’s concerns in Parliament in his capacity as Shadow Spokesperson for Education.

Changes to barred list checks

Last week the Department for Education (DfE) announced changes to the Child’s Barred List. Starting from the 31st March, it will be the responsibility of schools and not agencies to conduct a barred list check on supply staff. Agencies will now only be required to obtain an Enhanced Certificate with Barred List Information from the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS), and will not need to do a separate barred list check. The REC has asked the DfE for more information and clarity around this, but will be pushing for a reversal on this decision to allow agencies to continue to use this service.

New report from the House of Lords on UK-EU trade

The EU Services Sub-Committee has published its report, Beyond Brexit: trade in services. The report raises the REC’s concerns over agency workers being excluded from the provisions for short-term business travel. The changes to business travel rules represent a significant change in the UK-EU trading relationship for the recruitment sector. With the end of free movement, there is now a patchwork of different rules for each country in the EU. The report’s call for country-by-country Government guidance to be published as soon as possible is a welcome step. We are very pleased to see the committee take our evidence on board and acknowledge the difficult situation that the services sector is in. An agreement on mutual recognition of qualifications and a decision on data adequacy were also rightly called for.

Free lateral rapid flow COVID tests

All businesses in England are now able to sign up to the government's free COVID-19 workplace testing programme, but the deadline to register is 31 March 2021. Sign up at gov.uk  and you can order free rapid lateral flow tests which can be used to test your employees in the workplace twice a week. These tests cannot be taken at home. 

REC joins the new CBI Working Group on EU Services

 This week the REC joined the inaugural meeting of the CBI’s Trade working group. The objective of the group is to share intelligence and collaborate on the further developments of the Trade Cooperation Agreement (TCA) with the EU. During the meeting participants shared concerns over the challenge of navigating several different trade agreements. On a positive note, there is a final data adequacy decision could be on the horizon in time for the June deadline. Members can find REC's latest guidance here.