Mr. Gareth ThomasTo ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what assessment he has made of the impact of the Human Rights Act 1998 on the eligibility criteria for the determination of the public funding by the Legal Services Commission of cases before employment tribunals. [142382]
§ Mr. LockSir Andrew Leggatt is conducting a review of all tribunals. He will, among other things, assess the extent to which current procedures and other arrangements, including representation, comply with our ECHR and EU obligations; and to identify the options for240W ensuring compliance in the future. It would be premature to make any decisions on extending publicly funded representation in employment tribunals until Sir Andrew's review has been completed.
Mr. Gareth ThomasTo ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what assessment he has made of the impact of the Human Rights Act 1998 on the work of his Department. [142381]
§ Jane KennedyThe Lord Chancellor's Department prepared at all levels for the implementation of the Human Rights Act 1998; for example, ensuring that all judges and magistrates and the Department's staff were trained; that judges have speedy access to ECHR case law, and that the High Court has sufficient judges, if needed, to deal with any additional workload. Guidance was issued to clarify best practice in certain areas and necessary changes to procedure were made.
It is too early to make an assessment of the impact of the Act on court workload but so far there has been no turbulence in the courts.