§ 32. Mr. Pavittasked the Secretary of State for Employment how many redundancies have been declared in Willesden since May 1975; how many factories have closed; and if he will make a statement.
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§ Mr. GoldingUntil the redundancy provisions of the Employment Protection Act came into force on 8th March 1976, the employers were under no obligation to notify redundancies. However, prior to that date, the Employment Services Agency (ESA) maintained records of redundancies notified voluntarily by employers, involving, generally, 20 or more people. I am informed by the Manpower Services Commission that the number of people involved in redundancies recorded by the ESA as due to occur in the Willesden employment office area between 1st May 1975 and 30th April 1976 is 2,400. The number of establishments engaged in manufacturing and employing more than 10 people which are recorded as having closed in the same period is 10. I share the concern about the decline in the number of manufacturing jobs in London.