According to a letter from the Lord Chancellor to the Justice Committee last month, a large number of eligible people have failed to apply for a refund of tribunal fees paid. The Ministry of Justice is sending letters to those affected to try to raise awareness in this regard.
Further, when fees were abolished it was feared that this would lead to many claims being issued out of time, with claimants asserting that the fees prevented them from being able to present a claim. However, the letter suggests this has not been the case. Although it should be noted that the letter relies on statistics from pregnancy and maternity discrimination cases only.
The abolition of fees certainly caused a shake up when it was announced but this letter suggests the implications were not as great as initially feared. News is still awaited on whether the Government plans to introduce any replacement scheme for Tribunal fees – watch this space!