§ Mr. HancockTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will introduce legislation to ensure that employment tribunals have the power(a) to enforce Reinstatement Orders and (b) to force companies who do not comply with Reinstatement Orders to pay compensation in default. [179727]
§ Mr. SutcliffeThe employment tribunals can order the reinstatement of an employee who has been unfairly dismissed, provided the employee seeks such a remedy and the tribunal considers that it would be just and practicable to order it. Employers who unreasonably fail to comply with a Reinstatement Order are required to pay a significant additional award on top of the usual award for unfair dismissal.
§ Mr. HancockTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many Reinstatement Orders were issued by employment tribunals in each year since 1997; and how many have been carried out. [179728]
§ Mr. SutcliffeSince 1997 the number of Reinstatement Orders issued by the employment tribunals is as follows:
year1 Number 1997–98 26 1998–99 16 1999–2000 10 2000–01 7 2001–02 6 2002–03 6 2003–04 8 1The year is the financial year beginning 1 April and ending on 31 March. The Employment Tribunals Service does not collect data on how many Reinstatement Orders are carried out.