§ Mr. Altonasked the Secretary of State for Employment (1) if he will reduce the redundancy rebate payable to Airfix Ltd. resulting from the closure of Meecano, Liverpool, by the maximum of 10 per cent.; and if he will institute proceedings under the Redundancy Payments Act in view of the fact that it has failed to issue the statutory 90 days' notice;
(2) whether his Department was notified by Airfix Ltd. of its intention to claim special circumstances with regard to its failure to issue 90 days' notice of redundancy to the employees of Meccano Ltd.; and if so, what reasons it has given for its action.
§ Mr. Jim LesterThe Department has written to both Meccano Ltd. and the parent company Airfix Ltd. asking, as a matter of urgency, whether there were special circumstances rendering it "not reasonably practicable" to give the Department the 90 days' notice of redundancy required under the Employment Protection Act 1975, and, if so, what these were. Until a reply is received, it is not possible to say whether or not a penalty is appropriate.