Oral Answers to Questions Debate

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Department: Department for Education

Oral Answers to Questions

Dawn Butler Excerpts
Thursday 8th December 2016

(7 years, 5 months ago)

Commons Chamber
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Caroline Dinenage Portrait Caroline Dinenage
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There is no doubt that the number of tribunals has gone down, but in actual fact there is good news here, in the sense that people have been diverted from potentially acrimonious tribunal hearings and into mediation. ACAS has given people the opportunity to resolve their differences through conciliation, and that scheme was used by over 92,000 people last year.

Dawn Butler Portrait Dawn Butler (Brent Central) (Lab)
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It is well documented that the Minister for Women and Equalities has been sitting on her Government’s equality impact assessment since October 2015, and although I have made several requests to have sight of it and for it to be put in the public domain, I have been consistently told “in due course”. I am still waiting for an explanation of how long that means. Given that this week she published an equality analysis of further changes that the Government want to make to employment tribunals, will she now commit to publishing the document, announced and on her desk since 2015, before we break for Christmas?

Caroline Dinenage Portrait Caroline Dinenage
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The hon. Lady has made her point very clearly. I will speak to the MOJ, and we will get back to her as soon as possible.