Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, if she will reintroduce Section 124 of the Equality Act 2010 enabling tribunals to make wider recommendations to tackle discrimination in the workforce.

Section 124 (3)(b) of the Equality Act 2010 was repealed in the Deregulation Act 2015. Following consultation in 2013, the Government decided that wider recommendations by tribunals, which were not mandatory on employers, did not serve any useful purpose, yet created a perception of burden and unfairness for business - the estimated cost of making wider recommendations to employers who did implement them was about £2000.

Tribunals already had and continue to have the power to make critical observations about an employer’s processes and procedures. We have no plans to reinstate Section 124(3)(b) of the Act.