§ Mr. CryerTo ask the Secretary of State for Employment what was the value of the freehold sites transferred to Astra Training Services Ltd.; how many employees have been made redundant from all sites; what provision has been made by his Department for redundant persons; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. JacksonThe Government appointed King and Co. to value the Skills Training Agency estate prior to the sale of STA to the private sector. The acquisition of Astra of 28 freehold sites formed part of their overall sale package which involved a payment from the Government to Astra of some £10.7 million.
As the hon. Member was informed on 21 May 1990, staffing levels in parts of STA which have been sold to the private sector are a matter for the new purchasers. Most of these purchasers have made it clear that they will need to restructure the businesses to secure commercial viability.
Staff in the parts of STA which were not included in sale packages have been redeployed as far as possible but some 630W redundancies were inevitable. Sixty five staff in instructional officer grades in the unsold sites of STA have accepted voluntary redundancy and 41 staff in industrial and support grades in these unsold units have been made redundant.
My Department has reached agreement with trade unions that preferential consideration for reinstatement in the Employment Department group will be given to certain staff employed in STA immediately before sale if they are made redundant in the private sector within three years of sale.