Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of making a renewed Government commitment to resolving disputes across Departments through mediation.

It is a long-standing convention that we do not disclose publicly specific details on the processes of Cabinet collective decision-making, to protect the safe space for collective decisions. This Government is taking a missions-led approach to governing, bringing departments together to deliver the Plan for Change.

In the case of individual employees the Government is committed to offering mediation as a form of dispute resolution. This is already widely offered to Civil Servants by Departments across the Civil Service as a means to resolve workplace conflict promptly and effectively.

Departments have their own policies and guidance on handling disputes in line with the ACAS Code of Practice on disciplinary and grievance procedures. Mediation is a recommended method of dispute resolution within the ACAS guidance.