HC Deb 31 January 1972 vol 830 cc35-6W
Mr. Harold Walker

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what has been the annual cost of redundancy payments, for each year since the inception of the Redundancy Payments Scheme, to the Redundancy Fund and employers, respectively; and what has been the income to the fund in each of those years.

Mr. Bryan

The costs under these headings for each year were as follows:

£,000s
Cost to Redundancy Fund (rebate and guarantee payments) Cost to Employers (payments to employees less rebate)
6th December, 1965 to 31st December, 1966 19,986 6,606
1967 37,721 12,492
1968 46,377 15,460
1969 38,579* 23,307*
1970 38,956 33,585
1971 57,095 51,115
* The Redundancy Rebates Act, 1969, reduced rebate to 50 per cent, of the payment due to employees whose contracts of employment terminated on or after 17th March 1969.

On the second part of the Question the figures are as follows:

Financial Year ended 31st March Receipts excluding advances from the National Loans Fund (£000s)
1966 5,259
1967 19,920
1968 34,474
1969 44,407
1970 51,229
1971 50,450

The receipts include, in addition to contribution income less expenses of collection, relatively small amounts from, e.g., recoveries of guarantee payments and interest on short-term investments. For accounting reasons receipts can only be calculated finally for each completed financial year. Contribution income for the current financial year is estimated at about £50.7 million, and total receipts may be about £51.4 million.

Mr. Harold Walker

asked the Secretary of State for Employment (1) what has been the number of payments made from the Redundancy Fund in each year since its inception, for men and women, respectively;

(2) what has been the average redundancy payment for men and women, respectively, for each year since the introduction of the Redundancy Payments Scheme.

Mr. Bryan

The following are the figures for men and women in respect of whom claims for rebate (or payments equivalent to rebate) or guarantee payments were approved during each year:

Men Women
6th December, 1965 to 31st December, 1966 108,979 31,479
1967 192,161 49,527
1968 210,225 46,250
1969 194,709 46,339
1970 214,172 56,809
1971 297,776 74,949

I regret that the amounts paid are not separately available for men and women. The average amounts for all persons in respect of whom claims as above were authorized each year were:

£
6th December, 1965 to 31st December, 1966 192
1967 201
1968 234
1969 247
1970 263
1971 292