Calls for further evidence: compensation for those blacklisted

• Report: Blacklisting in Employment: Interim Report (PDF, 1.99 MB)
• Inquiry: Blacklisting in employment
• Scottish Affairs Committee homepage

The Committee’s inquiry so far has raised a series of complex questions, particularly about compensation, which the Committee will consider in the next phase of the inquiry before making its final recommendations to Government.

Ian Davidson MP, Chair of the Committee, said:

“This is an interim report; our inquiry so far has posed a series of key questions rather than answering them, particularly in regard to whether compensation should be offered to the people who suffered invasion of their privacy and loss of earnings as a result of this blacklist.

 

"We are now inviting further submissions on the four key question areas raised in this report, and we will be taking evidence from more of the firms involved.”

The committee is therefore appealing for evidence under the following four headings:

• Is blacklisting still taking place, both within the construction industry and more widely, and especially in Scotland?
• Should compensation be paid, and to whom? Anyone whose name appeared on a blacklist? Those who can prove they were adversely affected by blacklisting? Who should provide the compensation?
• What penalties are appropriate for those firms and individuals who engaged in blacklisting and who benefited financially from the process, and is it appropriate to introduce a degree of retrospection? In addition, should firms which have been involved in blacklisting be prevented from tendering for public sector contracts in future? Or should they only be allowed to tender if they pay compensation to those who have been blacklisted?
• Is the existing legislation against blacklisting sufficient, if properly enforced, or do we need changes to the law to eradicate the practice?

Submissions should be in Word or rich text format and sent by e-mail to scotaffcom@parliament.uk. Do not send in PDF format. The body of the e-mail must include a contact name, telephone number and postal address. The e-mail should also make clear who the submission is from.

Submissions must address the terms of the inquiry and should not, as a rule, exceed 2,000 words. Paragraphs should be numbered for ease of reference, and the document should include an executive summary.

Further information

Guide for witnesses ( PDF 431 KB)

Provides detailed guidance for individuals and organisations giving written or oral evidence to a House of Commons select committee.

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