Education and Skills Bill

I, too, am getting more and more puzzled by the minute, reading about the duty imposed in these clauses. The CBI has made it clear that its main worry is that employers will be put off by these differing arrangements, particularly those under Clauses 21 and 22. A particular concern was well underlined by the noble Baroness, Lady Sharp. Clause 22 states that, "““the authority may by notice … require the employer to pay a financial penalty””," While Clause 25 states: "““The employer must, so far as is reasonable””." But then there are specific exemptions that will almost certainly mean that it will not be reasonable to impose a penalty, whatever the reason. We need rather more clarity about what is proposed so that we do not end up with something that puts employers off being involved in this scheme.