Written question asked by Oliver Heald (Conservative) on Monday, 16 July 2007, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Wednesday, 18 July 2007. It was answered by Pat McFadden (Labour) on Monday, 10 September 2007 on behalf of the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform.

Industrial Disputes: Mediation

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what estimate he has made of the annual costs of informing parties in employment disputes of their local mediation service.

Answer: The Government have recently consulted on the introduction of a new advice service on dispute resolution, to provide impartial advice about different methods of resolving disputes. Such a service could encourage appropriate cases towards early mediation. We will publish our response to the consultation in the autumn. The Government's estimate of the costs of a new advice service was set out in the partial regulatory impact assessment published in the consultation paper in March 2007, copies of which were placed in the House Libraries.

Secondary information