The DTI is to announce whether it will consult further on the Employment Agencies Act (EAA) ‘within a few weeks’. Ministers are currently considering whether a further round of consultation is necessary, a spokesperson said.

Two weeks ago, the DTI announced that the EAA had been further delayed and would not be laid before parliament in mid-November as previously forecast. If the changes made to February’s draft proposals are deemed to be ‘significant’, the DTI will consult the industry again.

‘We do expect there to be changes, and my sources at the DTI suggest the changes will be significant,’ said Adrian Marlowe, MD of legal consultancy Lawspeed. ‘My concern is that the government will not proceed with further consultation, even though further changes could be considerable.’

‘This is a very important issue,’ agreed chief executive of ATSCo Ann Swain. ‘We’re very much hoping that ministers will have listened to the recommendations we put forward.’ ATSCo will not press for further consultation until it has seen the nature of the changes and the final document, she added.

Lawspeed has already written to DTI minister Alan Johnson MP, calling for further consultation on behalf of the 63 companies it represents.