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Survey of Employment Tribunal Applications (SETA) 2003

The series aims to provide information on the characteristics of the parties and key features of a representative sample of employment tribunal cases. The advisory group for the design and implementation of SETA 2003 included representatives from Acas, the Department for Constitutional Affairs (DCA) and the Employment Tribunals Service.

The main aims of SETA 2003 were:

• To update the Findings from the 1998 Survey of Employment Applications (ERRS 13, URN 03/999)
• To provide a basis for an analysis of the factors that determine the outcomes and durations of ET cases
• To establish existing practice and attitudes in relation to workplace dispute resolution, ahead of the introduction of the new legislation in this area due to come into effect in October 2004

Telephone interviews were conducted with either the Applicant or the Employer involved in a random sample of 4,500 Employment Tribunal cases completed over a 12-month period (66 per cent response rate). BMRB Social Research conducted the fieldwork between October 2003 and January 2004.

A report on findings from SETA 2003 has been published in the Employment Relations Research Series.

The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) established the SETA Small Grant Fund to develop the evidence base and encourage policy debate around the future and development of the Employment Tribunal System through small research grants of between £3,000 and £8,000. For more information please visit the SETA Small Grants web page.

Data and supporting documentation for SETA 2003, and other surveys in the SETA series, have been deposited in the UK Data Archive. Researchers wishing to access the data or supporting documentation should first register with the Data Archive.

Survey of Employment Tribunal Applications (SETA) 2005 - Race discrimination cases

Following SETA 2003 the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) commissioned a new SETA survey of people who have been brought a claim of race discrimination to an employment tribunal. The survey is supported by the Employment Tribunals Service (ETS) and Acas.   The main report is due to be published in early 2006.

The published reports of findings from BERR sponsored Employment Relations research projects can be downloaded free of charge from the BERR Publications website.