The Recruitment and Employment Confederation called on its members to lobby their local MPs over the benefits of temporary work, as the House of Commons considered more legislation on agency workers.

Last week the latest private member's bill to increase regulation of temporary workers was talked out, so will not come to fruition. However, Anne Fairweather, head of public policy for the REC, said "This issue isn't going to go away. In the new session of parliament there will be another lottery for private members bills, and the trade unions will be putting pressure on MPs to table this issue again."

In advance of the next private members bill, she called for REC members to counter the negative portrayal of the agency market by telling MPs about the flexibility temporary work gives people in balancing their work and family life, and the support they offer local businesses.

She said: "MPs only hear about things when they go wrong, so they need to see the strength of agencies in their constituency. If agencies approach their local MP and show what they are going in their local community, it's often that local link that will have the real impact."