HC Deb 10 December 1980 vol 995 cc359-60W
Mr. Foulkes

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will estimate the maximum, minimum, and average times that elapse between a complaint being notified to the Department of Employment and being dealt with by an industrial tribunal.

Mr. Mayhew

Complaints are notified to the Central Office of the Industrial Tribunals (COIT) for England and Wales or to the COIT for Scotland. The estimated minimum time to elapse between the notification of a complaint to the appropriate COIT and the first tearing by a tribunal is 4 to 6 weeks. The average time is about 10 weeks.

It is not possible, without considerable research, to make estimates of the maximum time as this can be affected by a variety of factors beyond the control of the COITs such as the illness or non-availability of the parties, their representatives or witnesses, and impending proceedings in other courts.