§ Mr. Spriggsasked the Secretary of State for Employment how many redundancies were reported to his Department during 1979 and up to the latest date for which information is available; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. Jim LesterI am informed by the Manpower Services Commission that the number of redundancies notified as due to occur during 1979 and up to 31 March 1980 was 267,121.
The temporary short-time working compensation scheme is available to employers to encourage them to avoid impending redundancies by introducing short-time working arrangements. Where redundancies do occur, the Manpower Services Commission will continue to do all it can to help the workers concerned find new jobs or train for fresh employment.