§ Mr. Jim CunninghamTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when he plans to publish his proposals to amend employment tribunal procedure rules. [146054]
§ Mr. Alan JohnsonI refer my hon. Friend to my written answer on 27 November 2000,Official Report, columns 381–82W. I expect to lay the amendments to the regulations before Parliament in early March, subject to completion of statutory consultation with the Council on Tribunals.
§ Mr. Jim CunninghamTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what guidance he will issue to employment tribunals on differentiating between a weak case which has no real chance of success and a case with merit which may be unsuccessful. [146055]
§ Mr. Alan JohnsonThe regulations will provide that an application or a defence may be struck out on the grounds that it discloses no reasonable grounds for bringing or defending the complaint. It will be clear that this provision applies to cases which have no real prospect of success rather than an arguable case.
The employment tribunals are independent judicial bodies and the application of the regulations in an individual case is for them to determine.
§ Mr. Jim CunninghamTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many applications were registered by the Employment Tribunal Service in 1999–2000; how many applications were successful; in how many cases costs were awarded; in how many cases costs were awarded against the respondent; and what the average costs were in each case. [146056]
§ Mr. Alan JohnsonThe Employment Tribunals Service registered 103,935 applications in 1999–2000. During this period, a total of 83,409 cases were disposed of, of which 10,349 (12 per cent.) were successful at a hearing. Costs were awarded in 407 cases (0.48 per cent.), of which 291 were awarded against the respondent. The average cost award was £1,700.09.