Earl of Dalkeithasked the Secretary of State for Employment and Productivity what steps she is taking to ensure alternative employment for the men due to be 217W dismissed by the British Steel Corporation from the Redpath Dorman Long fabricating shop on 31st May; how many have been assured of alternative work comparable with their skills; how many are as yet unprovided for with any alternative jobs; how many have indicated that they will have to move home to find alternative work; and what estimate she has made of the total amount of redundancy pay involved.
§ Mr. FernyhoughDetails of the workers to be discharged are not yet available to my local officers. Arrangements are in hand for the interviewing and registering for other work of those concerned and it is hoped that this will start about mid April. Until the interviews take place, specific information about the workers' redeployment cannot be given and there is little I can add in this respect to my letter of 3rd January to the hon. Member. It is not possible at this stage to estimate the total amount of redundancy pay that may be involved.