Written questions by Baldwin.

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of the UK-US Economic Prosperity Deal on her Department.

In May, the UK concluded a landmark economic deal with the US. This deal protects jobs in the automotive, steel, aluminium, pharmaceutical and aerospace sectors - sectors that employ over 320,000 people across the UK. In addition, an estimated 260,000 jobs are supported by the auto industry in the wider economy.The Government remains focused on making sure British businesses can feel the benefits of the deal as soon as possible.The Government is continuing discussions on the UK-US Economic Prosperity Deal which will look at increasing digital trade, enhancing access for our world-leading services industries and improving supply chains.We are encouraged by the references in the Economic Prosperity Deal to potential future agreements to increase digital and services trade between the United States and the United Kingdom. My Department will continue to support the ongoing negotiations with the US, led by the Department for Business and Trade.

How many (a) judges and (b) other people were employed in the Employment Tribunal by HM Courts and Tribunals Service in each of the last five years; and what proportion of those roles were vacant in that time period.

The number of judges and members of tribunals is published annually in the ‘Diversity of the Judiciary’ statistics. Headcount figures can be found at the tabs named “3_2_JO_Area”.2020: diversity-of-the-judiciary-2020-data-tables.ods2021: diversity-of-the-judiciary-2021-data-tables.ods2022: Judicial_diversity_2022_Tables.ods2023: 2023_JDS_tables.ods2024: JDS_2024_tables_-_FINAL_v3.odsWe are maintaining investment in the annual recruitment of about 1,000 judges and non-legal tribunal members across all jurisdictions. Annual recruitment requirements for judicial and non-legal tribunal members are determined by business need and judicial departures.HM Courts & Tribunals Service has recorded Employment Tribunal staff (including legal caseworker) headcount in December each year as follows between 2020 and 2024:Year 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 HMCTS Staff465514500470427Agency Staff100104106112118Total 565 618 606 582 545 Staff vacancies in the Employment Tribunal over this period are not held centrally. Recruitment requirements for HMCTS staff and legal officers in the Employment Tribunal is determined in response to business need and staff departures.

How many Employment Tribunal claims were submitted in each of the last five years; and what proportion of those were resolved within six months.

The number of Employment Tribunal claims submitted in each of the last 5 years can be found on www.gov.uk/government/collections/tribunals-statistics.HM Courts & Tribunals Service does not hold information on the number of cases submitted in the last 5 years that were resolved within 6 months, but we do hold data on the number of disposals and the number of sitting days used. Sitting day data has been published in the quarterly Tribunal statistics up to the period 2023/24. The disposal rate can be acquired by dividing the number of disposed cases by the number of sitting days. For the Employment Tribunal, the disposal rate for 2023/24 is therefore 0.99 disposals per sitting day; and for EAT for the same period, is 0.89 disposals per sitting day.

How many Employment Tribunal cases had been outstanding for more than 12 months in the latest period for which data is available.

A case may be outstanding for many reasons, often driven by the behaviour and choices of the parties. HM Courts & Tribunals Service does not hold information on the number of outstanding cases for more than 12 months.

What estimate she has made of the average cost to the public purse of administering an Employment Tribunal claim.

The estimated operational cost of disposing of a case within the Employment Tribunal was estimated at £2,522 per case in 23-24, the last full financial year for which figures are available.

How many judicial vacancies there were in the Employment Tribunal system on 31 March 2025; and what steps she is taking to fill those vacancies.

We are maintaining investment in the annual recruitment of around 1,000 judges and tribunal members across all jurisdictions. Annual recruitment requirements are determined by business need and judicial departures.Recruitment for up to 36 salaried Employment Tribunal judges commenced in March 2025. 50 new fee paid employment judges were appointed in 2024, and recruitment will commence for a further 50 in early 2026. Additionally, recruitment is planned in 2025 for two regional leadership judges and 150 non-legal tribunal members.

Whether her Department offers its staff shared parental leave from their first working day.

The Ministry of Justice does not offer employees shared parental leave from their first day of employment.The Department’s shared parental leave policy aligns with the statutory provisions. To be eligible for leave, employees must meet the continuity of employment test, and the employment and earnings test set out in the Shared Parental Leave Regulations 2014.For the continuity of employment test, an employee must have worked for the same employer for at least 26 weeks by the end of the 15th week before their baby is due or their adoption match date.For the employment and earnings test, an employee and their partner must have worked for at least 26 of 66 weeks before the expected birth date or adoption match date.There are other criteria an employee must meet relating to sharing the caring responsibilities for a child.As with any changes to employment legislation, internal policies and processes will be updated as appropriate in preparation for when the Employment Rights Bill 2024 comes into effect.