Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Employment Tribunals: Average Waiting Times

Tuesday 27 June 2023 · 2 questions

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 0 Partly answered 2 Not answered 0

Key points

  • Chris Elmore asked about recent assessments of trends in average waiting times for employment tribunals
  • The outstanding caseload of employment tribunals reduced from 48,000 in February to 41,000 in March due to an increase in sitting days
  • The Minister offered to investigate a specific case mentioned by Chris Elmore where claimants are still waiting for their employment tribunal hearing

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Chris Elmore Lab Bridgend
Justice & Courts
Context

There is no recent data on average waiting times for employment tribunals due to a merger of IT systems.

Question

What recent assessment has been made of trends in average waiting times for employment tribunals? The outstanding caseload has reduced from 48,000 in February to 41,000 in March this year because of an increase in the number of sitting days.

Answer from Mike Freer

Following a merger of IT systems, there is no current data on average waiting times. The outstanding caseload has reduced from 48,000 in February to 41,000 in March this year because of an increase in the number of sitting days. We continue to support and reform the employment tribunals process and are making progress in reducing the backlog.

Partly answered

Not addressed: No recent data on average waiting times due to IT system merger

How: Following A Merger Of It Systems, There Is No Current Data

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Q2 Chris Elmore Lab Bridgend
Justice & Courts Employment
Context

Members of the Union of Shop, Distributive and Allied Workers submitted claims for a protective award in 2020 but are still waiting for their employment tribunal to hear their case.

Question

Will the Minister look into the case where members of my trade union who submitted claims for a protective award in 2020, after being made redundant without consultation, are still waiting for the employment tribunal to hear their claim and ensure that their collective claim can be dealt with by the Tribunals Service as soon as possible?

Answer from Mike Freer

The tribunals are operationally independent, but I would be more than happy to investigate the case mentioned by the hon. Gentleman and see whether there are any issues causing the delay.

Partly answered

Not addressed: No commitment to resolve or expedite the claim

How: The Tribunals Are Operationally Independent

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