Written questions by Griffiths.

What recent representations she has received from legal professional bodies on the performance of employment tribunals.

Ministers and officials have regular meetings with legal professional bodies to discuss a range of matters about the justice system. To address the demands the Employment Tribunals are facing, their capacity is being increased. Following recruitment, in 2024 we had 21 more salaried judges in the Employment Tribunals than in 2023, and further recruitment for up to 36 salaried Employment Judges commenced in March 2025. 50 fee paid employment judges were appointed in 2024 and recruitment will commence for another 50 in early 2026. HM Courts & Tribunals Service continues to invest in improving tribunal productivity through the recruitment of additional judges, deployment of Legal Officers to actively manage cases, the development of modern case management systems, and the use of remote hearing technology. A ‘Virtual Region’ of judges has delivered over 1,500 extra sitting days. As a result, the Lord Chancellor was able to announce on 5 March a sitting day allocation for the Employment Tribunals of 33,900 in 2025/26, the maximum allocation they are able to sit. We do recognise that there remain significant challenges for the performance of the Employment Tribunals. We are therefore continuing to monitor demand on Employment Tribunals and are working with the judiciary, HMCTS and the Department for Business and Trade on any further actions needed to alleviate pressures on the Employment Tribunals, improve efficiency and reduce waiting times to ensure timely access to justice for claimants and respondents.

What funding has been allocated to the employment tribunal system in each of the last three financial years; and what proportion of that funding has been spent on digital case management systems.

£M22/2323/2424/25Employment Tribunals67.874.977.7 The table above gives the total allocated budget for the Employment Tribunals in the years shown in £m. This includes all staff costs, judicial salaries and fees, and other direct costs from the operation of the tribunals and the specific IT systems relating to Employment Tribunals, though excludes wider overheads such as the costs of buildings and other general IT systems.It is not possible to identify separately the full running cost of the Employment Tribunals digital case management systems, as all maintenance, development and analysis work is carried out by HM Courts & Tribunals Service’s centrally-managed digital and data teams.

On what dates (a) he and (b) Ministers in his Department have met with their United States counterparts since 5 November 2024.

The Department for Business and Trade holds regular engagement with US counterparts at both Ministerial and official level.

What steps he is taking to help reduce delays in the provision of children’s mental health care services for young people experiencing acute mental health crises under mental health holds in adult psychiatric facilities.

Wherever possible, when children and young people need to be admitted to an inpatient setting for mental health treatment, they should be accommodated in an environment that is suitable for their age.Sometimes, clinically urgent situations may necessitate children and young people being placed on wards that are not specialised for their care or are away from their home and family. In these situations, patient safety, the least restrictive environment, and clinical need remains paramount.It is a statutory requirement for the Care Quality Commission (CQC) to be notified when a child or young person is placed on an adult ward for a continuous period of longer than 48 hours, with providers required to provide regular updates and give assurance that the children concerned are being safeguarded. The latest information from the CQC’s Monitoring the Mental Health Act: 2023 to 2024 report shows that there were 120 notifications of instances where a person under 18 years old was admitted to an adult ward in 2023/24, a 38% decrease compared with 2022/23.The model of provision of National Health Service-funded inpatient treatment for children and young people is being re-designed to support the move to community-based provision, where children and young people are able to access appropriate support in a timely, effective, and patient-centred way, close to home, and in the least restrictive environment.This transition is being supported through provider collaboratives, place-based commissioning, and the development of local services that meet the needs of local communities. The new model will see a change to how inpatient environments are best utilised and options may include increased day provision.We are also working to improve community mental health services so that fewer children and young people need to be admitted for inpatient care. We will recruit an additional 8,500 mental health workers across child and adult mental health services in England to cut wait times and provide faster treatment, provide access to a specialist mental health professional in every school in England, and roll out Young Futures Hubs to provide open access mental health support for children and young people.

What steps he is taking to (a) retain existing and (b) recruit new GPs in Sussex.

We are committed to training thousands more general practitioners (GPs) across the country, including in Sussex. We invested an additional £82 million into the Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme (ARRS) over 2024/25, as part of an initiative to address GP unemployment and secure the future pipeline of GPs.We are investing an additional £889 million through the GP Contract to reinforce the front door of the National Health Service, bringing total spend on the GP Contract to £13.2 billion in 2025/26. This is the biggest increase in over a decade.Our commitment to growing the GP workforce includes addressing the reasons why doctors leave the profession and encouraging them to return to practice. We know that high workloads can be a key driver for GPs reducing their contracted hours or leaving the profession and we are tackling morale issues through drivers such as growing the workforce and reducing bureaucracy through our Red Tape Challenge, to improve job satisfaction and reduce the risk of burnout.The fully qualified GP workforce in Sussex has increased by 6.3% or 51.0 full-time equivalent (FTE) compared to January 2024 and compared with 2.7% nationally or 1,019 FTE.I understand that the Sussex Primary Care Workforce Plan was developed and published last year, and aims to further develop a sustainable healthcare workforce, ensuring high-quality patient care despite rising demand. The plan prioritises expanding the workforce, improving staff retention, and introducing innovative training methods.

When she plans to provide and Answer to Question 25500 tabled by the hon. Member for Bognor Regis and Littlehampton on 21 January 2025.

A substantive answer was given to PQ 25499. PQ 25500 was a duplicate question and as such was withdrawn by Table Office on Wednesday 22 January.

When he plans to provide an Answer to Question 26782 tabled by the hon. Member for Bognor Regis and Littlehampton on 27 January 2025.

I refer the hon. Member for Bognor Regis and Littlehampton to the answer I gave on the 24th of February, UIN 26782.

Food and Rural Affairs, when he plans to provide an Answer to Question 25490 tabled by the hon. Member for Bognor Regis and Littlehampton on 21 January 2025.

An answer to Question 25490 was published on 24 February 2025. I apologise for the delay in responding to the hon. Member.

Whether her Department has commissioned the use of hotel accommodation for the purpose of housing asylum seekers within the Arun District since 5 July 2024.

For the safety and security of those we accommodate and our staff, the Home Office does not comment publicly on sites which may or may not be utilised to accommodate asylum seekers.When a hotel has been identified for use as contingency accommodation, Home Office officials will write to the local authority Chief Executive and the constituency MP to inform them of plans to accommodate asylum seekers there.

What meetings the Minister for Trade Policy and Economic Security has had with Doug Gurr since 4 July 2024.

Details of ministerial meetings are routinely published on Gov.uk.

What meetings he has had with Doug Gurr since 4 July 2024.

Details of ministerial meetings are routinely published on Gov.uk.

What meetings the Minister for Industry has had with Doug Gurr since 4 July 2024.

Details of ministerial meetings are routinely published on Gov.uk.

What meetings the Minister for Employment Rights, Competition and Markets has had with Doug Gurr since 4 July 2024.

Details of ministerial meetings are routinely published on Gov.uk.

What meetings the Minister for Services, Small Business and Exports has had with Doug Gurr since 4 July 2024.

Details of ministerial meetings are routinely published on Gov.uk.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department plans to refer to the Gulf of Mexico as the Gulf of America in official documents.

We have long-standing processes on establishing geographical feature names for UK use, which will continue to govern future labelling.It is a matter for the US how it labels geographical features around its own coastline.

What assessment he has made of (a) the adequacy of the level of UK car production and (b) the impact of that industry on the economy.

The UK’s automotive manufacturing industry directly supports over 150,000 jobs and contributed £21.0 billion in gross value added to the economy in 2024.It plays a crucial role in driving innovation, advancing net-zero goals, and fostering economic growth. In value added terms, the UK has the second-largest car manufacturing industry in Europe. While production dipped last year due to planned upgrades and weaker global demand compared to 2023, the government remains confident in and committed to the sector. The Autumn Budget included a £2 billion commitment for the sector. Recently a £50 million investment deal was secured with JATCO and Nissan to establish a new manufacturing site in Sunderland, JATCO’s first site in Europe.

Whether her Department offers protection to staff from unfair dismissal from their first working day.

The Ministry of Justice has comprehensive people policies in place to protect staff from unfair dismissal. These policies set out a clear, fair and legally compliant process for dealing with conduct, attendance, performance and failed probation related dismissals. These policies are applicable to Ministry of Justice staff from day one of employment.All dismissals are handled in line with current legislation and appropriate Codes of Practice. Where an employee feels they may have been unfairly dismissed, appropriate internal appeal routes may be instigated. Where an employee is unable to solve a problem internally, they may be able to go to an employment tribunal to claim unfair dismissal, as set out in legislation.This position will be reviewed when unfair dismissal rights are updated in line with proposals in the Employment Rights Bill.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department offers protection to staff from unfair dismissal from their first working day.

The FCDO is committed to ensuring fair treatment and protection for all its employees from the outset of their employment. The FCDO adheres to the principles of fairness and transparency in all its employment practices, including protection against unfair dismissal. While the current UK employment law stipulates a two-year qualifying period for employees to gain protection against unfair dismissal, the FCDO goes beyond this requirement by fostering a supportive and respectful working environment and having in place robust and fair procedures relating to employment decisions.

Whether his Department offers protection to staff from unfair dismissal from their first working day.

The protections for staff within the Department for Work and Pensions against unfair dismissal include the application of a fair, published, accessible discipline procedure, formal appeal of the decision to an independent appeal manager and an ability for the trade unions to raise with the central HR team any dismissal decisions they are concerned about. These rights can be exercised by staff from their first day of working. Where staff externally make a claim of unfair dismissal to the Employment Tribunal, the rules of the tribunal apply and this is outside DWP’s control.

Whether his Department offers protection to staff from unfair dismissal from their first working day.

The Department has defined unfair dismissal to occur where no fair reason has been provided to justify the dismissal, resulting in a breach of contract.All dismissals are handled in line with current legislation and the Department’s policies and procedures. Employees who are new to the Civil Service are subject to a probationary period of between one and six months, depending on the type of appointment. During this time, employees are made aware that they are being assessed for their suitability for the role. Employees may only be terminated before the end of their probation in exceptional cases of poor performance, or for gross misconduct.Where an employee feels they may have been unfairly dismissed, appropriate internal appeal routes may be instigated. Where an employee is unable to solve a problem internally, they may be able to go to an employment tribunal to claim unfair dismissal, as set out in legislation.This position will be reviewed when unfair dismissal rights are updated in line with proposals in the Employment Rights Bill. This position will be reviewed when unfair dismissal rights are updated in line with proposals in the Employment Rights Bill.