Asked by: Lord Ashcombe (Conservative - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the remarks by Lord Collins of Highbury on 28 October 2025 (HL Deb col 1257), whether they have commenced the review of section 10 of the Employment Relations Act 1999; and if not, when they expect that review to begin.
Answered by Baroness Lloyd of Effra - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The government has committed to review the functioning of section 10 of the Employment Relations Act 1999 in its entirety. As part of this review, we will engage with relevant and interested stakeholders and publish our findings in Parliament. The review will start shortly and the government will write to interested parties in due course.
Asked by: Lord Ashcombe (Conservative - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have evidence that requiring employers to permit workers to be accompanied at disciplinary or grievance hearings by persons other than trade union officials or other workers is likely to increase the cost, complexity and length of such hearings.
Answered by Baroness Lloyd of Effra - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The current legal framework on the right to be accompanied has been in place for a long time. The framework aims to keep disciplinary and grievance procedures internal to the workplace. Expanding the types of organisations that could be involved in representing workers at discipline and grievance meetings could lead to these meetings requiring legal representation for both the worker and employer. This would invariably increase the cost of holding a hearing, add complexity and delays, and decrease the chance of amicable resolution as both parties become entrenched in a dispute.
Asked by: Lord Ashcombe (Conservative - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of expanding the right to accompaniment at disciplinary or grievance hearings to persons other than trade union officials or other workers on minority groups and equality outcomes.
Answered by Baroness Lloyd of Effra - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The current legal framework on the right to be accompanied has been in place for a long time. The framework aims to keep disciplinary and grievance procedures internal to the workplace. Expanding the types of organisations that could be involved in representing workers at discipline and grievance meetings could lead to these meetings requiring legal representation for both the worker and employer. This would invariably increase the cost of holding a hearing, add complexity and delays, and decrease the chance of amicable resolution as both parties become entrenched in a dispute.
Asked by: Lord Ashcombe (Conservative - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of enabling companions permitted to accompany workers at disciplinary or grievance hearings to provide legal representation or act as legal advocates for workers during those hearings.
Answered by Baroness Lloyd of Effra - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The current legal framework on the right to be accompanied has been in place for a long time. The framework aims to keep disciplinary and grievance procedures internal to the workplace. Expanding the types of organisations that could be involved in representing workers at discipline and grievance meetings could lead to these meetings requiring legal representation for both the worker and employer. This would invariably increase the cost of holding a hearing, add complexity and delays, and decrease the chance of amicable resolution as both parties become entrenched in a dispute.