The Stage

Up-front fees proposals approved by House of Lords

Published Thursday 24 June 2010 at 15:17 by Matthew Hemley

Draft regulations aimed at providing greater protection to performers regarding up-front fees have moved one step closer to becoming law, after they were approved by the House of Lords last night.

The regulations amend the Conduct of Employment Agencies and Employment Businesses Regulations 2003, and include the extension of a seven-day cooling-off period - currently enjoyed by actors, walk-ons and extras before paying a fee to be included in a publication or directory - to 30 days.

Now they have been approved by the House of Lords, the draft regulations - which were laid before parliament by the previous Labour government - will be put before the House of Commons, at a date yet to be decided, with a view to them becoming law in October this year.

The draft regulations were introduced in the House of Lords by Baroness Wilcox, who said the legislation tackles “a long-standing issue that has tarnished the reputation of agencies in the entertainment and modelling sector for too long”.

She said most agents who charge to include performers in a directory are “reputable”, but added: “There is also unfortunately a tradition of abuse of this provision by the unscrupulous. Typically, they target the young, and often vulnerable, with unrealistic promises of work.”

Under the new legislation, there will be a complete ban on up-front charges in relation to models, while extras, walk-ons and background artists will benefit from the 30-day cooling-off,

“The risk of abuse is significantly lower in these sectors and a ban would have a disproportionate effect on legitimate businesses,” Wilcox said.

She added that the regulations “strike a sensible balance between the need to protect workers from unscrupulous practices” and the need to “maintain a flexible and dynamic labour market”.