Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of increasing the level of financial penalty for employers who do not pay their ex-employee promptly after losing a tribunal.

The Government is committed to considering further improvements to the way that people can enforce their employment rights, including the role that Acas, Employment Tribunals and the Fair Work Agency play in ensuring workers’ have access to an effective justice system.

The Civil Justice Council (CJC) is currently considering how to improve enforcement methods and recently held a call for evidence on court users’ experiences of enforcement.The government will consider any recommendations that the CJC makes.