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Office of the Deputy Prime Minister

Answer

Mr. Hancock: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how much money has been spent on (a) settling and (b) contesting claims in the Department registered at employment tribunals for (i) race discrimination, (ii) sex discrimination, (iii) disability discrimination, (iv) unfair dismissal and (v) equal pay since 1 January 2003. [159412] Yvette Cooper: During the period in question, the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister has settled one Employment Tribunal case on terms that involved the payment of financial compensation. All other cases brought against the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister were either withdrawn by the applicants, or settled on terms that did not involve payment. The exception was one case in category (i)--race relations--in which damages of £6,324.16 were paid. The amounts expended in contesting applications made to Employment Tribunals are as set out as follows. The figures represent the costs of instructing Treasury Solicitor and of disbursements on fees to Counsel and other expenses. They include the case referred to above, as well as cases where The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister has settled without payment of compensation, cases that have been successfully defended, cases that have been withdrawn and on-going expenses of cases that are still being contested. Since 1 January 2003 the amount of money spent on contesting claims at employment tribunals in the categories listed are as follows: (i) race discrimination--£15,655.64 (ii) sex discrimination--£634 (iii) disability discrimination--£23,856.85 (iv) unfair dismissal--£14,004.96 (v) equal pay--£138,566.94.

Secondary information

Type

Written question

Reference

159412; 418 c1439-40W;418 c1441-2W

Session

2003-04

Subjects

Disability Compensation Equality Employment Tribunals Service Gender Government departments Equal pay Legal costs Racial discrimination Unfair dismissal Office of the Deputy Prime Minister

Contains statistics

Yes

Link

View this Written question on www.publications.parliament.uk