§ Mr. Terry Walkerasked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will make a statement about further implementation of the provisions of the Employment Protection Act.
§ Mr. BoothMy right hon. Friend has decided to bring into force, from 1st June 1976, most of the provisions of the Act which provide rights and protections for individuals. A commencement order to this effect has been signed today.
The Order will bring into force, from 1st June, the provisions of the Act on medical suspension, protection from dismissal because of pregnancy, the right to return to work after a maternity absence trade union membership and activities, time off to look for work for employees who are being made redundant, improved remedies for unfair dismissals and improvements in the provisions of the Redundancy Payments Act and the Contracts of Employment Act, including the requirements for periods of notice and a written statement of terms of employment. The Order will also bring into force from 6th April 1977 the provisions relating to maternity pay, so that necessary arrangements for setting up the maternity pay fund and calculating the appropriate level of contributions can be made.
The Order also includes some minor provisions relating to matters dealt with in previous commencement orders, and introduces certain order-making powers which may be needed before the substantive provisions come into force.
My Department is producing leaflets explaining in detail the various provisions and these should be available well before the provisions come into force.