Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps her Department is taking to reduce the average wait time for an Employment tribunal application to reach a tribunal hearing.

Following recruitment, in 2024 we had 21 more salaried and 34 more fee-paid judges than in 2023, with further fee paid judge appointments to follow; and recruitment for up to 36 salaried Employment Judges commencing on 13 March 2025. HMCTS continues to invest in improving tribunal productivity through the recruitment of additional judges, deployment of Legal Officers to actively manage cases, the development of modern case management systems, and the use of remote hearing technology. A ‘Virtual Region’ of judges has delivered over 1,500 extra sitting days, which has allowed judicial capacity in certain regions of the country to be made available to hold remote hearings in other parts where capacity is stretched. The demand and pressures on London and the South East are particularly acute, and this initiative has allowed sitting capacity in other regions, such as Scotland, Wales etc to be deployed to ease them.

The Lord Chancellor was able to announce on 5 March a sitting day allocation for the Employment Tribunals of 33,900 in 2025/26, the maximum allocation they are able to sit.

We recognise that there remain significant challenges for the performance of the Employment Tribunals. We are therefore continuing to monitor demand on Employment Tribunals and will work with the judiciary and HMCTS on any further actions needed to improve efficiency and reduce waiting times.