The Stage

Calls for Tory rejection of all up-front fees

Published Thursday 24 June 2010 at 10:47 by Matthew Hemley

Campaigners are calling on Conservative MPs to push for a complete ban on up-front fees when draft regulations are debated in the House of Lords this week.

Drawn up by the former Labour government, the proposals provide greater protection to performers in relation to such charges, with a view to legislation being introduced this October.

One of the main elements is the extension of the week-long cooling-off period - which actors, walk-ons, background artists, extras and models currently enjoy before paying towards inclusion in a publication or directory - to 30 days.

Campaigners argue this does not go far enough. They hope that members of the Conservative Party, which has always advocated a complete ban on the taking of up-front fees for including performers’ details in a publication, will vote against the proposals, which amend the Conduct of Employment Agencies and Employment Businesses Regulations 2003.

BECTU national official Spencer MacDonald said: “We would hope the Conservatives do raise serious questions about the suitability of the proposed amendments and stick with the position they had before they got in power.”

Up-front fees campaigner Clive Hurst said the “only answer” was agency licensing and a complete ban on up-front fees. This would include charges for photographic services, which the new regulations would continue to allow. “It will be interesting to know what the House of Lords debate throws up,” he said.

As The Stage went to press, a spokesman for the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills said the regulations were due to be debated by the House of Lords this week.

He added that a debate in the House of Commons had not yet been scheduled, but said the amendments were “on track” to be brought in by October, as initially planned.

Responding to BECTU’s comments, he said there was a possibility that MPs could vote against the regulations, but said this was very rare.

He said: “If people wanted changes, they would vote against them, and the regulations would have to be withdrawn, redrafted and relaid before parliament.”

When Labour laid the draft regulations before parliament earlier this year, they were labelled a “shambles” by campaigners, who criticised the fact that they were not as strong as the ones first outlined by Labour late last year.

At that time, Labour had proposed a complete ban on agencies which represent walk-ons, background artists, extras and models from taking up-front fees, with the extended cooling-off period only applicable to other categories of performers.