Member

I will leave the Minister with some critical questions. First, do the Government recognise the potential loophole created by the removal of waiting days for statutory sick pay, where workers could begin to take sporadic short-term sick leave, making it so much harder for employers to manage and verify? Secondly, do the Government justify the increased cost burden on recruitment agencies, particularly small and medium-sized enterprises, at a time when they are already struggling with rising costs and stagnant growth? Thirdly, will the Government consider the practical implications of multiple statutory sick pay claims by workers with several employers, enabling them to double-dip and receive more than the maximum entitlement? Fourthly, why have the Government chosen to ignore the heartfelt and well-informed warnings from the recruitment sector about the risk of unsustainable financial pressure on businesses, which are already providing much-needed jobs in a challenging economy?