HC Deb 26 June 1980 vol 987 cc242-3W
Mr. David Watkins

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many redundancies have been notified to his Department for the Consett travel-to-work area in each month since January of the current year.

Mr. Jim Lester

[pursuant to his reply, 24 June 1980, c. 86]: The number of proposed redundancies notified to my Department under the redundancy handling provisions of the Employment Protection Act 1975 from the Consett travel-to-work area, since January this year, is as follows:

Establishments Employees
January 1980 4 130
February 2 228
March 3 150
April 2 131
May 2 112
Total 13 751

During the same period, 277 redundancies at five establishments were formally withdrawn. There is no statutory requirement to notify my Department when proposed redundancies do not take place.

I am informed by the Manpower Services Commission that the number of redundancies notified to it as due to occur in the Consett travel-to-work area since January this year, is as follows:

Employees
January 200
February 106
March 162
April 110 These figures are provisional since some notifications are received late.
May 117
Total 755

Both Department of Employment and Manpower Services Commission figures are for redundancies involving 10 or more employees.