Government reintroduces fees for employment tribunal claims

The Government has just issued a consultation paper on re-introducing fees for claimants wanting to bring employment tribunal claims or appeals to the EAT.

Some of you may remember the old fee regime which was introduced in July 2013 but was quashed by the Supreme Court in 2017 as it was found to be an unlawful interference with the common law right of access to justice.  At that time there were issue fees (between £160 - £250) and hearing fees (between £230 - £950)  which clearly disincentivised claimants from lodging claims or pursuing them once they realised the matter might not be settled.

The Government is now suggesting that there is a flat fee of £55 with no further fee payable for the hearing, which does seem more reasonable.  

Consultation closes on 25th March 2024 and if it goes ahead the new fee regime will commence in November 2024.  Watch this space!

If you need support responding to employment tribunal claims or training your team on how to manage the process from start to finish, please contact our team on hello@starfordlegalhr.com