Last week also saw the publication of the Government's consultation paper focusing on amendments to the proposed Dispute Resolution Bill.

The things considered are disappointing in view of the number of issues raised with the current Dispute Resolution Rules and appear to be very much tinkering at the edges. They include:-

  • Broader powers for Tribunals to make "recommendations" in certain cases;
  • Introducing a procedure for the Chairman to make decisions based on documents alone in applicable cases;
  • Removing some of the confusion that exists around withdrawal of procedure provisions (Rule 25);
  • Revising ET1 and ET3 forms;
  • Revising how interest accrues on Tribunal awards; and
  • Extending the definition of a relevant adviser to include members of the CIPD for signing off Compromise Agreements.

The consultation ends in September.

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