The Employment Relations (Northern Ireland) Order 1999 (Blacklists) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2014 (the Regulations) came into operation on 6 April 2014. They were introduced to prohibit the use of ‘blacklists’ in respect of employees or potential employees. The Regulations cannot be avoided by employers instructing employment agencies to vet employees, as the Regulations provide that employment agencies cannot refuse to provide their services because an individual appears on a blacklist