§ 2. Mr. Hiltonasked the Minister of Social Security if she is now able to report on the firm of Labour Force Limited in relation to the amount of selective employment tax paid on men supplied to the construction industry on a labour-only sub-contracting basis, and for the staff directly employed by Labour Force Limited for the purpose of administration.
§ The Joint Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Social Security (Mr. Norman Pentland)As my hon. Friend knows, it is not our practice to disclose payments by individual employers. But I should add that the company to which he refers was fined £10 in the Croydon Magistrates' Court in September for not providing information which it had been required to give under Section 90 of the National Insurance Act, for the purpose of ascertaining the contribution position of the persons involved; and that further proceedings against the Company under section 90 are now pending.
§ Mr. HiltonWill my hon. Friend confirm that the reason advanced by Labour Force Limited for not supplying this information is that it would take two years to collect? Does not he agree that it is paradoxical that a firm which claims to be efficient enough to negotiate 75,000 individual contracts a week should advance such a claim? If the firm proves obstructionist in getting this information, can my hon. Friend tell me what action he intends to take?
§ Mr. PentlandNot without notice, on the legal aspects of the latter part of my hon. Friend's question, but on the contributions aspect and the question of S.E.T. liability, the court proceedings to which I have referred are now going forward.