§ Mr. Spearingasked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will list for each year since 1960 the total number of registered port workers in the area covered by the London docks labour board, together with the numbers made redundant or taking severance in each year and the total costs to public or private bodies of those severances.
§ Mr. WaddingtonThe National Dock Labour Board has supplied the information given in the table below.
16WThe cost figures require some explanation. The figures shown are total payments in respect of the severances in each year paid from the national voluntary severance scheme (NVSS). Contributions to the NVSS are made by registered port employers in London and in other scheme ports by levies on the gross wages of the registered dock workers they each employ. The table also includes in 1972–73, 1978–80 and 1981, grants that the central Government made of £9.1 million, £11.4 million and £4.4 million (to date) respectively, in respect of severances in London Dock Labour Board area. Prior to the introduction of the NVSS in 1969 there was no severance scheme and few redundancies.
London dock Labour Board Area—Registered Dock Workers End of No. on register No. who left on voluntary severance Cost £m 1960 29,250 1961 27,789 1962 26,064 1963 25,321 1964 24,972 1965 25,309 1966 24,264 1967 22,791 1968 21,066 1,638 Not known 1969 18,259 1,482 2.39 1970 16,573 1,741 2.90 1971 15,986 1,166 1.84 1972 12,656 3,330 8–79 1973 11,586 1,016 3.69 1974 11,504 21 0.04 1975 9,825 1,701 7.96 1976 9,251 518 2.41 1977 8,480 621 3.61 1978 8,105 381 2.53 1979 7,106 916 7.55 1980 5,793 1,257 10.69 to 8 Dec 1981 4,595 1,182 17.43 TOTALS 16.970 £71.3