§ Mr. Prescottasked the Secretary of State for Employment what recommendation his Department made to companies concerning consultation and period of notice prior to a proposed company closure.
§ Mr. BoothMy Department has always encouraged employers to consult employees likely to be affected by redundancies or closures as far in advance as practicable. Any employer who wishes to claim a rebate from the Redundancy Fund for Redundancy Payments is already obliged to give the employment services up to three weeks' notice of his intention. The Employment Protection Bill, which I hope to introduce next month, will include provisions requiring employers to give trade, unions and the Department of Employment substantial periods of advance warning of redundancies.