§ 21. Mr. H. Boardmanasked the Secretary of State for Employment and Productivity whether, in view of the anomalies in the Redundancy Payments Scheme relating to the benefits paid to redundant employees, she will introduce further amending legislation.
§ Mr. HattersleyAs I stated during the Second Reading debate on the Redundancy Rebates Bill on 30th January, it is intended to introduce further legislation to deal with anomalies in the Redundancy Payments Act, 1965.—[Vol. 776, c. 1562 and 1600.]
§ Mr. BoardmanCan the Minister say how many substantial redundancy payments have been made in cases in which neither loss of work nor loss of wages was involved? Can he also say in how many cases concerning elderly people declared redundant the payment has been quite paltry?
§ Mr. HattersleyI cannot give my hon. Friend any precise figures for the categories about which he asks, but I can assure the House, as I tried to do on 30th January, that our policy of remedying the anomalies is not because it draws a significant amount from the Fund but because it is necessary to do it in equity.
§ Mr. ScottCan the Minister tell us when the Bill will be introduced? Can he also assure us that this will not be the end of the story and that we shall be taking a more fundamental look at the Redundancy Payments Scheme?
§ Mr. HattersleyI can give no assurance at the moment on the second part of the question.
21 On the first part of the question, I told the House on 30th January that we needed to go through substantial consultations on the anomalies, and the timing of the Bill, at least in part, is dependent on them.