The British Hospitality Association (BHA) has called for a review of child employment laws, saying regulations regarding the employment of children under 16 are deterring employers who are keen to offer work experience and part-time jobs to young people.

“The law on child employment is still rooted in the Children and Young Persons Act 1933, which has since had many piecemeal changes and now needs to be updated,” said BHA chief executive, Bob Cotton.

“The Better Regulation Task Force’s report on child employment – The Regulation of Child Employment – highlights the difficulties, but the list of barriers is endless.

“For many of our members, it just isn’t worth the effort to employ young children, even though the industry could give valuable work experience.”

Cotton added that the association would welcome changes to current regulations which maintained child protection but which still gave young people a greater opportunity to experience work in the hospitality sector.

“Many of our top professionals started out in the industry as youngsters working part-time, but current restrictions are very inhibiting,” he said. Details: www.bha-online.org.uk