Written question asked by Oliver Heald (Conservative) on Tuesday, 17 July 2007, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Thursday, 19 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: Arbitration

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what assessment his Department has made of the average cost to (a) the Government, (b) the employer and (c) the employee of an employment dispute (i) resolved through an employment tribunal, (ii) resolved through mediation and (iii) in which mediation was unsuccessful.

Answer: The most recent assessment of average costs of employment disputes to employers and employees was carried out by my Department was the 2003 Survey of Tribunal Applications. The next such survey is scheduled for the first half of 2008. Information on costs to the Government is provided in the annual reports of the Employment Tribunal Service. Average costs are not available for those cases going to mediation, as the Department does not conduct research on mediation of employment disputes outside of the Employment Tribunal System.

Secondary information