§ Mrs. Wiseasked the Secretary of State for Employment which sections of the Employment Protection Act are not yet in force; and when they are expected to be brought into operation.
§ Mr. BoothThe following provisions of the Act are not yet in force:
Sections 17–21 Disclosure of Information. Sections 22–28 Guarantee Payments. Sections 36–47 Maternity Pay and the Maternity Pay Fund. Sections 57–60 Time off work for Trade Union duties and activities and for public duties. Sections 81–84 Itemised Pay Statements. Section 98 and Schedule 11. Extension of Terms and Conditions. Section 111 Abolition of Grade, Class and Financing Provisions of the Trade Dispute Disqualification from unemployment benefit. Part of Schedule 16—Part II. Reduction of part-time qualifying hours. Commencement orders to bring into operation from 6th April 1977 the provisions relating to maternity pay and the maternity pay fund and itemised pay statements were made on 1st April 1976 and 23rd August 1976.
I now propose to bring into operation the provisions relating to the extension of terms and conditions of employment from 1st January 1977 and those relating to guarantee pay, the removal of the grade, class and financing disqualification and the reduction in part-time qualifying hours from 1st February 1977.
This will leave the provisions on disclosure of information and time off work as the only sections of the Act not implemented. Their implementation is dependent on codes of practice which have to be produced by the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service and approved by Parliament. Consultative drafts of both codes have now been published by ACAS and the provisions will 144W be introduced with the minimum possible delay once the codes have been finalised and approved.