Member

However, we have to recognise that this is in the manifesto, so we need to try and find a compromise. My amendments try to do that, as do those in the name of the noble Lord, Lord Sharpe. I think we can all agree that the current two-year qualifying period is longer than it needs to be; in the vast majority of cases, six months should be sufficient for an employer to know if the relationship is working. My amendments would therefore simply shorten the qualifying period to six months. Most importantly, they would retain the ability to dismiss without reason during that shortened period, so retaining the critical ability to take a risk on someone. My amendments aim for simplicity. They would retain the existing law but dramatically shorten the period, which I think goes a long way towards the spirit of the manifesto, if not the letter. The noble Lord’s amendments are a little more complex, with the two-stage process that he described, but the end-result would be similar so I am happy to support him.