The Ministry of Justice has just announced a simplification of the fee remissions structure for employment tribunals, which will become effective on 30th June 2014. The changes include:
- applicants no longer need to provide original copies of documents as the court service will accept photocopies;
- applicants will not have to tell the court service the exact amount of disposable capital they have, only the relevant threshold they fall into;
- bank statements can be printed copies from online banking systems;
- Department of Work and Pension letters can now be dated within the last three months (previously it had to be less than a month old).
The court service is also producing a clearer, simplified form, and has announced that if a piece of information is missing, it will endeavour to contact the applicant rather than reject the claim.
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These changes will be welcomed by potential applicants and their representatives. EmploymentPartner Kate Fretten says, “Since the tribunal fee system came into force in July 2013, the remission system, whereby applicants can have their fees wholly or partly waived, has been heavily criticised as not being fit for purpose.” The changes announced will simplify the process, which will benefit Respondents as well. The result will hopefully be that the time delays caused by the remission system will be shortened so that Respondents do not suddenly find they have a claim against them from a former member of staff who left many months before.
At Frettens, all of our solicitors offer a free initial meeting or chat on the phone to answer your questions. If this article raises issues for you or your business, please call us on 01202 499255 andKate or Paul will be happy to discuss it with you.
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