The information in the following table shows the number of scheduled hearings in each employment tribunal office and the number of hearings that actually took place in those offices. In each case, the information covers each of the last three complete financial years. For the purposes of this question, the term ‘hearing’ includes case management discussions, pre-hearing reviews, merits hearings, review hearings and, where necessary, remedy hearings.
The listing of a case for hearing can often focus the minds of parties and representatives on the possibility of solutions other than a tribunal hearing. Many of the cases scheduled for hearing can, therefore, be settled or withdrawn prior to that hearing taking place. A number of cases will also have been postponed at the request of parties or, occasionally, on the direction of an employment judge. In order to maximise the use of hearing rooms cases are listed (under the direction of a Judge) with the expectation that a proportion will withdraw.
Office Number of hearings 2006-07 2007-08 2008-09 Aberdeen Scheduled 753 820 767 Completed 304 302 294 Ashford Scheduled 2,162 2,492 2,265 Completed 1012 1184 960 Bedford Scheduled 2,278 2,248 2,439 Completed 914 821 858 Birmingham Scheduled 6,440 6,674 7,763 Completed 3,161 3,243 3,439 Bristol Scheduled 2,660 3,039 3,194 Completed 1,243 1,254 1,306 Bury St. Edmunds Scheduled 2,529 2,537 2,530 Completed 921 881 882 Cardiff Scheduled 2,504 2,901 3,169 Completed 966 1,178 1,343 Dundee Scheduled 685 669 588 Completed 307 226 217 Edinburgh Scheduled 1,520 1,489 1,384 Completed 612 592 544 Exeter Scheduled 2,055 2,548 2,395 Completed 918 1,129 1,053 Glasgow Scheduled 3,074 3,523 3,749 Completed 1,367 1,627 1,739 Leeds Scheduled 4,459 4,769 5,110 Completed 2,038 2,229 2,222 Leicester Scheduled 1,822 2,076 2,093 Completed 670 846 822 Liverpool Scheduled 2,867 2,870 3,135 Completed 1,082 1,092 1,264 London Central Scheduled 4,871 5,357 6,405 Completed 2,599 2,952 3,446 London South Scheduled 5,294 5,182 5,182 Completed 2,635 2,636 2,695 Manchester Scheduled 5,596 5,766 6,657 Completed 2,226 2,448 3,008 Newcastle Scheduled 5,751 7,208 7,206 Completed 3,059 4,068 3,798 Nottingham Scheduled 2,475 2,791 3,003 Completed 961 1,080 1,267 Reading Scheduled 1,911 2,380 2,384 Completed 823 997 1,010 Sheffield Scheduled 2,040 1,969 2,086 Completed 817 706 716 Shrewsbury Scheduled 2,008 1,770 1,942 Completed 816 746 719 Southampton Scheduled 3,739 3,774 3,436 Completed 1,680 1,658 1,560 Stratford Scheduled 3,217 3,679 3,221 Completed 1,605 1,645 1,372 Watford Scheduled 3,334 3,017 3,705 Completed 1,489 1,344 1,469
The Tribunals Service is responsible for administering the work of employment tribunals. Information technology services in respect of those tribunals are provided by a unit within the Ministry of Justice, MOJ ICT (Information Communications Technology), which itself contracts with specialist IT providers. The contracts in place specify levels of service to be delivered, including measures for both quality and timeliness.
Stenographers have never been employed by the Tribunals Service or, before its inception, the Employment Tribunals Service, to transcribe employment tribunal proceedings. Parties may, with the consent of the tribunal, use stenographers but the costs involved will be met by the parties.