§ Mr. RooneyTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry which sections of the Employment Relations Act 1999 have been implemented and on what date; and what is the timetable for the remaining sections. [94791]
§ Mr. Alan JohnsonThe first commencement order (S.I. 1999/2509) for the Act was made on 8 September, bringing sections 38 and 42 into force on 9 September and section 18(6) on 30 September.
The second commencement order (S.I. 1999/2830) was made on 14 October. Under it, sections 2, 3, 13(1) to (3), 18(1) to (5), 19 to 23, 26 to 33, 34(4), 35, 36(1) (in part), 37, 39, 40 and 43, Schedules 2 and 6 and paragraphs 1, 2, 5 (in part), 6 and 8 of Schedule 7 will come into force on 25 October and sections 7 to 9 and Schedule 4 will come into force on 15 December. The corresponding provisions of section 44 and Schedule 9 (repeals) will come into force on 25 October or 15 December as appropriate.
It is intended that the remaining provisions in the Act should be brought into force over the coming year, including, by Easter, new rules on industrial action ballots and notices (section 4 and Schedule 3), new protections for unfairly dismissed strikers (section 16 and Schedule 5) and better access for national security staff to employment tribunals (section 41 and Schedule 8), and, shortly thereafter, the new right to be accompanied in disciplinary and grievance hearings (sections 10 to 15) and the statutory trade union recognition scheme and associated provisions (sections 1, 5, 6 and 25 and Schedule 1).