News from the tribunal
Employment claims statistics and reform progress report.
Statistics
Last month the Ministry of Justice published the tribunal statistics for April to June 2018.
The removal of Employment Tribunal (ET) fees in July 2017 has had a significant impact on the number of claimants taking their cases to the ET. The number of claims lodged has increased by 165% compared with the same quarter last year.
The number of single claims outstanding also rose by 130% compared with the same quarter last year. HM Courts and Tribunal Service (HMCTS) is in the midst of recruiting more employment judges to help manage the work load and reduce the backlog.
As a result of the abolition of fees, 12,400 refund payments have been made since the system was introduced, totalling over £10 million.
Reforms
The HMCTS are also proposing various other reforms to make the claims management process more efficient. It has recently published a report with updates on its progress.
With regards to the ET, a new service is being developed. The intention is for the Tribunal experience to be more responsive to users’ needs. This will include the ability to resolve some cases online and by video.
These reforms are planned to begin in 2020 and are expected to conclude by mid-2021.
HMCTS is also planning to create a digital case management system to enable claims to be issued and responded to. This will also allow cases to be managed by the court digitally.
As always, if employers need assistance with any contentious matters please do get in touch and hopefully we can help you avoid any increase to these statistics!
