Oral Answers to Questions

Marcus Jones Excerpts

Thursday 8th December 2011 Commons Chamber

[Brandon Lewis (Great Yarmouth) (Con)]

2. What recent progress his Department has made on its employment law review being undertaken as part of the red tape challenge.

[Mr Marcus Jones (Nuneaton) (Con)]

13. What recent progress his Department has made on its employment law review being undertaken as part of the red tape challenge.

[Julian Smith (Skipton and Ripon) (Con)]

17. What recent progress his Department has made on its employment law review being undertaken as part of the red tape challenge.

--- Later in debate ---

[Mr Davey]

The Government’s strategy is to ensure that we are not gold-plating. I am sure that my hon. Friend will have been pleased that on 23 November we published a call for evidence on the TUPE regulations, which he mentioned. It is available on the Department’s website and I encourage all right hon. and hon. Members to respond.

[Mr Marcus Jones]

I recently met local business people at a constituency event sponsored by the Federation of Small Businesses, and they told me that they were apprehensive about taking on additional employees because of the culture of employment tribunals, to which employees can take even the most spurious claims without any personal risk whatever. What can the Minister do to address that issue, which, if tackled, would encourage more employers to take on extra staff?

[Mr Davey]

We have listened to both employer and employee concerns about the cost and complexity of going to employment tribunals, and believe that our reforms will make a positive difference to both parties. We have set out our conclusions and our response to the “Resolving Workplace Disputes” consultation. Critical aspects of our new approach include a major new emphasis on mediation and a new pre-claim conciliation service by ACAS, and, finally, a fundamental review of the rules and procedures is now being undertaken by Lord Justice Underhill.