The Stage

License agents on a central register, Bectu urges DTI

Published Tuesday 7 June 2005 at 13:55 by Liz Thomas

Bectu is demanding the government re-introduce a licensing system for agents in a renewed push to protect performers - in particular, supporting artists and extras - from being exploited by unscrupulous operators.

The union is insisting there is a real need for licensing through a central register, run by a government department or body in order to monitor and validate every agent in the UK. It has begun consultation with the Department of Trade and Industry about the proposals. The bid for dialogue with the DTI to create a new licence for agents follows the introduction of a revised version of the Conduct of Employment Agencies and Employment Businesses Regulations last year, which many in the industry have argued failed to go far enough to protect artists.

Bectu official Spencer Macdonald said those starting out in the industry and working as background artists and walk-ons were particularly vulnerable to exploitation by agencies claiming they could provide work on popular television shows or films.

He stated: “In reality anyone can set up as an agent, take people’s money and disappear and there is no way of tracking them down. There is no way of checking their credentials - you don’t know who these people are. The best way of tackling this would be some sort of licensing system where each agent is recorded.

“It is not going to be an easy process and there would be a huge administrative cost to compiling such a database, which leaves questions about whether and how much to charge agents for being on there.

“We have had our first meeting with the DTI to tackle the issue and this time we are hoping the government sees sense. I think most reputable agents would be in favour of some mechanism being in place.”

He added that the ideal result would be statutory legislation to enforce registration but conceded this was unlikely in the short term. The government abolished the idea of an agency licence in the nineties, something both Bectu and Equity lobbied hard against at the time.

Ben Thomas, chairman of the National Association of Supporting Artistes Agents said there was a serious problems with ascertaining the reputability of agencies claiming to supply for high-profile television and film productions. He said: “There are some services out there that claim to provide extras for shows such as EastEnders or Holby City when there is no evidence that they do. Were there to be a licence, a lot of abusers would simply come out under a different guise. There should be a more thorough policing service that monitors advertising and the businesses, but the level of apathy we have experienced - from government departments and regulators - has been immense.”

Equity has added its support to the current move, arguing a licence is the only proper way to ensure agents are reputable. A spokesman for the union said: “A licence for agents would be a crucial first hurdle to prevent people not operating properly from setting up in the first place. At the moment it is easy to set up with no experience, no track record and no facilities in place to give the service suggested. A licence would provide some indicator of ability and can be revoked if problems occur.”

While Agents’ Association president Gordon Poole welcomed the idea of a central register, former president Bob James was sceptical the consultation would yield any significant results but said the meetings were a positive sign. He added that under his tenure there had been numerous attempts to establish a licensing system or registration service, all of which had been rejected by the government.