§ Mr. BatisteTo ask the Secretary of State for Employment when he proposes to bring forward appropriate measures to give industrial tribunals jurisdiction over complaints of breach of employment contracts; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. ForthThe Government are firmly committed to giving industrial tribunals this jurisdiction, as announced by my predecessor, my hon. Friend the Member for Teignbridge (Mr. Nicholls) last year. However, it is now clear that the powers contained in section 131 of the Employment Protection (Consolidation) Act 1978 are inadequate for achieving this objective. The Government therefore propose to include a provision to enable industrial tribunals to hear complaints arising from breach of contract of employment at the earliest appropriate opportunity in a future legislative programme.