Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment her Department has made of whether employment tribunal delays disproportionately affect (a) women, (b) disabled people, (c) ethnic minority workers and (d) other groups protected under the Equality Act 2010.

The Department is currently conducting an Access to Justice assessment of the Employment Tribunal which will include exploration of whether there are disproportionate waiting times experienced by those with protected characteristics. We expect to publish this by the end of March 2027.

We remain committed to ensuring the Employment Tribunal is fair, lawful, and accessible to all users. We recognise the significant pressure facing Employment Tribunals and are taking action to increase capacity, improve efficiency and reduce waiting times, including through maximising sitting days and recruiting more employment judges.

From October this year, the time limit for bringing most Employment Tribunal claims will increase from three months to six months. This will provide more time for claimants to gather evidence, seek advice and prepare their claim helping to improve access to justice for all Employment Tribunal users, including those protected under the Equality Act 2010.