Employment Bill [HL]

In speaking to the amendment tabled in the names of my noble friends and myself, I am pleased at the support that it has received from all sides. I could not agree more that the role of lay members is so important with the expertise that they bring to bear. In relation to what the noble Baroness said, in many cases when I was engaged in trade unions, along with my noble friend Lady Turner, we very often had representing us at tribunals not lawyers as such, but people who had practical experience in the field. For the member appearing before them, they could express in practical terms the difficulties that they were facing or what they were seeking as a result of those difficulties. It is very important. We seek clarification that all members not only remain the same, but that the practice does not come in of the judges sitting alone unnecessarily. I understand that there may be a build up of cases and that we do not want them to have to wait. It may be a way of easing it, but we do not want to lose the expertise that lay members from both sides can bring to the case. We are looking for that assurance from the Minister and assurance that lay members will continue to play the role which everyone who has spoken has said was so invaluable in the past. That should not in any way be degraded or diminished.