HC Deb 24 February 1993 vol 219 cc655-6W
Mr. Fatchett

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if she will list all those regulations affecting small firms which have been abolished by her Department in each year since 1979.

Mr. McLoughlin

The information is not available in the precise form requested. The current average time taken by the redundancy payments service to process claims for redundancy and insolvency payments is six weeks. The comparable figure for 1991–92 was 7.6 weeks.

In the period 1 April 1992 to 31 January 1993, 88.7 per cent. of claims were processed by the redundancy payments service within 12 weeks. In 1991–92, the figure was 79.7 per cent. Information is not available for previous years.

Up to 10 working days is allowed for payment by the Department's finance office after approval of a claim.

Mr. Cousins

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if she will give for each of the last four years the cost to the redundancy payments service of meeting payment shortfalls due to the insolvency of enterprises; and how much of this was subsequently recovered.

Mr. McLoughlin

The Employment Protection (Consolidation) Act 1978 provides for various payments out of the national insurance fund when an employer is unable to make them by reason of insolvency. Payments made and sums recovered in the last four years were as follows:

Mr. McLoughlin

[holding answer 23 February 1993]I shall arrange for a list of regulations affecting business which have been abolished by the Department to be placed in the Library by early March.