Employment Act 2002 (Amendment of Schedules 3, 4 and 5) Order 2006

My Lords, I am exceedingly grateful for the support and constructive comments of noble Lords this afternoon. I thank the noble Lord, Lord Roberts, and the noble Lord, Lord De Mauley. I shall deal with the couple of points raised by the noble Lord, Lord De Mauley, about the burden that some employers, particularly small businesses, may face. There will be initial costs associated with putting procedures in place for some firms. In the longer term, business stands to gain from the better management of disputes, timely settlement and a more efficient tribunal service. Why should the Government not wait for the outcome of the review before making this amendment? It is necessary for the Government to make the amendment at this stage for two reasons. First, while the Government would not wish to prejudge the outcome of the review, it is highly likely that any replacement procedure or modified procedure would have to refer to the jurisdictions listed in the current schedules in one way or another. Secondly, any potential amendments to the statutory dispute resolution procedures resulting from the review are unlikely to be made for some time, which would create considerable delay. It therefore makes sense to make this amendment now. On Question, Motion agreed to.