HC Deb 04 April 1979 vol 965 cc793-5W
Mr. Buck

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will list in the Official Report the grants and incentives currently available to encourage greater mobility of labour, and the number of workers benefitting from each grant in the financial year 1978–79.

Mr. Golding

I am informed by the Manpower Services Commission that financial assistance to encourage mobility of labour is currently available under the

Mr. Harold Walker

Since September 1974 when ACAS was first set up, and up to 28 February 1979—the latest date for which figures are available—it has dealt with 3,382 recognition issues in all. Of these 2,434 were completed conciliation cases in which the service had offered its assistance to the parties under section 2 of the Act; and 948 were recognition issues referred to it by an independent trade union under section 11 of the Employment Protection Act 1975 from 1 February 1976, when that section came into force. Of the latter figure 772 issues had been settled and withdrawn—in many instances following conciliation by ACAS—and 176 had been the subject of a formal report.

Mr. Kershaw

asked the Secretary of State for Employment in how many trade disputes the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service has acted on requests for (a) conciliation action, (b) advisory work, (c) inquiries and (d) arbitration, mediation and investigation in each of the past five years.

Mr. Harold Walker

The following:s the information requested. The activities of the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service are not invariably associated with specific trade disputes.

job search, employment transfer and key workers schemes.

The job search and employment transfer schemes are designed to encourage unemployed workers and those under threat of redundancy to seek and to take up employment beyond normal daily travelling distance of their homes. The key workers scheme assists workers who are transferred by their employers beyond daily travelling distance of their homes to occupy key posts in establishments being set up or extended in the assisted areas.

The assistance available under these schemes is as follows:

Grant or allowance and current rate

JOB SEARCH SCHEME

Fare to attend interview—actual cost.

Speculative temporary transfer allowance—£5.75 for the first night and £4 for subsequent nights.

EMPLOYMENT TRANSFER SCHEME AND KEY WORKERS SCHEME

Forward fare—actual cost.

Settling-in grant—£17.

Assisted home visits—12 visits per year, but only four visits per year for workers under 18 with no dependants. Actual costs, except that the worker must pay the first £1 of each return fare.

Temporary separation allowance—£17 per week.

Disturbance allowance—people from assisted areas without dependants—£7 per week—£14 per week for the first three months of transfer.

Retention of lodging allowance—introduced 1 April 1979—£7 per week.

Continuing liability allowance—Up to £17 per week.

Household removal expenses—actual cost.

Fares for dependants—actual cost.

Legal expenses grant

  1. (i) for house sale—three-quarters of legal costs to a maximum of £300.
  2. (ii) for house purchase-three-quarters of legal costs to a maximum of £195.

EMPLOYMENT TRANSFER AND KEY WORKERS SCHEMES
Employment transfer scheme Key workers scheme
Settling-in grant 18,522 223
Forward fare 13,472 150
Assisted home visits 8,178 129
Temporary separation allowance 4,175 77
Disturbance allowance 9,597 18
Continuing liability allowance Figures not available
Household removal assistance—includes removal expenses, legal fees grant, transfer grant and fares for dependants 5,338 180

Note: The retention of lodgings allowance was introduced on 1 April 1979 and figures for this are not therefore included in the Table.