All Party Parliamentary Small Business Group. Freelancer briefing

The opportunities and threats facing freelancers received a political airing at a seminar organised by UKTECH, the UK's largest freelancer network, and Conservative MP, Mark Prisk, himself a former freelancer.

Following on from the success of that seminar, the All Party Parliamentary Small Business Group (APPSBG), the largest such group in Parliament with more than 440 MPs and Peers as members, has decided to make 'freelancers' the subject of its next briefing.

The APPSBG will take evidence from freelancers via its website and through the more conventional approach, via invitation to attend a session at the House of Commons.

This will be carried out in conjunction with an on-line pilot trial which is being undertaken with the Genesis Initiative. Members of the APPSBG will be networked with their own constituents and will be able to take evidence directly from them.

Constituents logging onto the APPSBG website will be automatically routed to the relevant constituency consultation area.

The evidence from all quarters will be collated, conclusions drawn and recommendations made with the objective of helping the UK become the best environment in which to trade as a freelancer.

Key dates

Identify key issues by 9th May

On-line consultation starts 14th May

Evidence taken at Committee Room House of Commons 11th June

Report to be issued 29th July

UKTECH is collating the information to identify the key issues which will be the focus of the evidence gathering.

UKTECH will be building on the consultation process it has already carried out among members of its network online. At this stage we are not looking to gather evidence against each item, but to identify the key issues on which to gather evidence at a later date.

Key issues include:

Why are freelancers important?

For themselves

For their clients

For the UK economy.

Evidence will be sought from individual businesses to "case study" the importance of the freelancer in these three areas.

What are the main threats facing freelancers?

IR35

Prince 2 certification

Lack of work.

Section 660

What other threats face freelancers?

Evidence will be sought from small businesses to outline the problems in dealing with these threats and the cost to their business.

What are the main opportunities for freelancers?

Public sector work

Europe

Working with other SMEs

What others exist?

Evidence will be sought on the problems facing small business in trying to access these opportunities.

Evidence will be invited from freelancers, agents, clients, accountants and other stakeholders.

Issues will be identified via an open consultation on UKTECH before being drafted into a consultation paper by the APPSBG secretariat and placed on the APPSBG website for consultation.

Trade associations invited to alert members and/or to comment on issues directly on the UKTECH website are:

* Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners. – STEP

* Recruitment and Employment Confederation.- REC

* Forum for Private Business - FPB

* Professional Contractors Group - PCG

* Institute of Directors - IoD

* The Genesis Initiative

* Small Business Policy Institute - SBPI

* Intellect

* Confederation of British Industry - CBI

* Federation of Small Businesses - FSB