L

Lord Hunt of Wirral (Con)

Speaking in the House of Lords on 23 July 2025

Debate

Employment Rights Bill

Contribution

My Lords, I am very grateful to the Minister for his response. I believe that he accepts that there is grave concern across the board about the state of our employment tribunal system today. That concern is among workers, employers and, especially, employment lawyers. I welcome the fact that the Minister accepts that there is a need to extend the early conciliation period. He said that it could be done by secondary legislation; well, let us reflect on that. It would certainly help to reduce the pressure on the system, which is already under immense strain, but we lack clarity on some basic questions. How will employment tribunals be funded? There are so many question marks about how many further judges are needed and how many administrators will be appointed. What is the plan to bring the backlog under control? It is very serious at the present time. If rights cannot be enforced in court, they effectively do not exist. I urge the Government to take these concerns seriously and bring forward proper solutions. In the meantime, I beg leave to withdraw the amendment.

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