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 introducing mandatory mediation in employment disputes.

We continue to work across government to make the dispute resolution system more resilient, so that that the measures in the Employment Rights Act can be effectively enforced. We recognise the benefits of mediation in resolving disputes swiftly.

A joint DBT/MoJ Taskforce—working with Acas and representatives from business, unions, and other experts —is considering reforms to strengthen dispute resolution.

This includes considering how to maximise use of informal options including meditation and other forms of alternative dispute resolution.