This Section gives the Secretary of State a power to recover costs in connection with providing legal assistance.
	Subsection (1) sets out that cost recovery is applicable where the Secretary of State has assisted a person under Section 117 in relation to proceedings, and the person becomes entitled to their costs (or expenses in Scotland) in the proceedings. Subsection (2) sets out that in these circumstances the Secretary of State’s expenditure in giving the assistance is to be charged on sums paid to the person by way of costs or expenses and can be enforced as a debt to the Secretary of State.
	Subsections (3) and (4) set out the relationship between this Section and the legal aid regimes in England and Wales (subsection 3) and Scotland (subsection 4), to the effect that sums due under those regimes take precedence over sums due under this Section.
	Subsections (5) and (6) set out that the Secretary of State may, by regulations, make provision for how the expenditure of the Secretary of State incurred when providing legal assistance is to be calculated for the purposes of subsection (2).
	Subsection (7) provides that any regulations made under subsection (5) are subject to the negative resolution procedure.
Part 5: Enforcement of Labour Market Legislation Powers relating to civil proceedings Section 118 – Recovery of costs of legal assistance