22Employment tribunals
(1)In section 13 of the Employment Tribunals Act 1996 (c. 17) (costs and expenses), for subsection (1) there is substituted—
“(1)Employment tribunal procedure regulations may include provision—
(a)for the award of costs or expenses;
(b)for the award of any allowances payable under section 5(2)(c) or (3).
(1A)Regulations under subsection (1) may include provision authorising an employment tribunal to have regard to a person’s ability to pay when considering the making of an award against him under such regulations.
(1B)Employment tribunal procedure regulations may include provision for authorising an employment tribunal—
(a)to disallow all or part of the costs or expenses of a representative of a party to proceedings before it by reason of that representative’s conduct of the proceedings;
(b)to order a representative of a party to proceedings before it to meet all or part of the costs or expenses incurred by a party by reason of the representative’s conduct of the proceedings;
(c)to order a representative of a party to proceedings before it to meet all or part of any allowances payable by the Secretary of State under section 5(2)(c) or (3) by reason of the representative’s conduct of the proceedings.
(1C)Employment tribunal procedure regulations may also include provision for taxing or otherwise settling the costs or expenses referred to in subsection (1)(a) or (1B)(b) (and, in particular in England and Wales, for enabling the amount of such costs to be assessed by way of detailed assessment in a county court).”
(2)After that section there is inserted—
“13APayments in respect of preparation time
(1)Employment tribunal procedure regulations may include provision for authorising an employment tribunal to order a party to proceedings before it to make a payment to any other party in respect of time spent in preparing that other party’s case.
(2)Regulations under subsection (1) may include provision authorising an employment tribunal to have regard to a person’s ability to pay when considering the making of an order against him under such regulations.
(3)If employment tribunal procedure regulations include—
(a)provision of the kind mentioned in subsection (1), and
(b)provision of the kind mentioned in section 13(1)(a),
they shall also include provision to prevent an employment tribunal exercising its powers under both kinds of provision in favour of the same person in the same proceedings.”