§ Mr. Kinnockasked the Secretary of State for Employment what steps are taken to ensure that calculations of redundancy payment awards by officials of his Department concur with those made by the employer and the trade unions in the British Steel Corporation.
§ Mr. GoldingIn order to ensure payment of the right amount of rebate to an employer it is necessary for my Department to be satisfied that the payment to the employee under the Redundancy Payments Acts 1965 has been calculated correctly.
For the purposes of verification no distinction is made between the British Steel Corporation and other employers.
§ Mr. Kinnockasked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will take steps to ensure that in cases where 846W recently redundant workers in the steel industry have lost money as a consequence of differing calculations of awards by the British Steel Corporation and officials of his Department the deficiency will be made up by cash payments.
§ Mr. GoldingMy officials are in touch with the British Steel Corporation with a view to ensuring that redundant steel workers have received their proper entitlement under the Redundancy Payments Act 1965.
§ Mr. Kinnockasked the Secretary of State for Employment if he is satisfied with the application of the Redundancy Payments Act in the steel industry; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. GoldingYes, although occasionally there are problems to be resolved in establishing entitlement and the amount due. But these are problems which occur generally in the operation of the Redundancy Payments Act 1965 and are not peculiar to the British Steel Corporation.