Proposals for a regulation regime for mediation faltered last week when mediators told the Civil Mediation Council (CMC) they need more time to consider ‘ambitious’ plans.

However members of the organisation, which represents civil and commercial mediators, approved a scheme to register workplace mediators to meet the needs of the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform.

The scheme will go live early in the new year and be the first point of contact for people wanting to find a mediator under provisions in the new Employment Act.More radical proposals to introduce voluntary registration schemes for mediation organisations, mediators, codes of good practice and a complaints review body were not carried.

The proposals were not voted on, but the 80-strong meeting was agreed that the consultation period be extended to 31 January 2009. The amended proposals will be debated at a special meeting on 31 March. Members acknowledged the huge amount of time that had gone into drafting the reforms.

The council’s chairman, Sir Henry Brooke, said he was not disappointed with the outcome as it is up to members to decide what they want. ‘It was a communications problem – people felt the proposals were complicated and they hadn’t had enough time to consider them.’ A complete laissez-faire market was not appropriate, Brooke said, warning: ‘If we can’t produce a regulation scheme we leave ourselves potentially open to state regulation, which nobody wants.’

Tim Wallis, a mediator with Expedite Resolution, said that while some mediators are wary of regulation, most are sympathetic - but want more time to consider the implications.