§ Mr. Arthur Lewisasked the Secretary of State for Employment whether he will publish in the Official Report as much detailed information as may be readily available showing how redundancy schemes operate in public and private employment, the amounts of moneys payable to those where public funds are in any way used directly or indirectly to the employing organisation; and how these schemes compare with the redundancy payments made to hon. Members.
§ Mr. Jim LesterSystematic information is held in my Department only on the statutory redundancy payments scheme governed by the provisions of the Employment Protection (Consolidation) Act 1978. The scheme provides a minimum level of entitlement only, and individual employers both in the public and private sectors are at liberty to make more generous provision.
The average payment made under the State scheme in recent months has been iof the order of £980.
Severance grants for hon. Members vary, according to age and length of service, between six months' and one year's salary, and are paid if a Member loses his seat following a general election or if he is displaced due to boundary changes.