HC Deb 03 November 1980 vol 991 cc421-3W
Mr. Austin Mitchell

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will circulate in the Official Report a list of all the redundancies notified to him in the month of September, the number of persons involved in each case and the principal products affected.

Mr. Jim Lester

I am unable to list the redundancies notified to the Department for the month of September, because information given to the Department under the redundancy handling provisions of the Employment Protection Act 1975 is given in confidence. However, the total number of proposed redundancies notified to my Department under these provisions for September 1980 involved 203,365 employees employed in 3,842 establishments.

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 reported to them as due to occur in September 1980 involved 33,396 employees. The major industries involved were:

Employees
Clothing 2,201
Construction 2,307
Iron and Steel 4,910
Motor Vehicle 1,978
Total 11,396 (34 per cent of total)

The Manpower Services Commission figures are provisional since some notifications are reported late.

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

Mr. Ernie Ross

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what is the total number of redundancies in Dundee his Department has been notified of under section 100 of the Employment Protection Act (a) since May 1979 and (b) since January of the current year; and how many establishments were involved in each case.

Mr. Jim Lester

[pursuant to his reply, 28 October 1980, c. 140]: The numbers of proposed redundancies in Dundee which have been notified to my Department under the redundancy handling provisions of the Employment Protection Act 1975 from (a) May 1979 to September 1980 and (b) January 1980 to September 1980 are as follows:

  1. (a) 5,818 employees at 102 establishments
  2. (b) 3,801 employees at 70 establishments.

There is no statutory duty to notify my Department when redundancies do not take place.

I am informed by the Manpower Services Commission that the numbers of redundancies reported to it as due to occur in Dundee from (a) May 1979 to September 1980 and (b) January 1980 to September 1980 are as follows:

  1. (a) 3,138 employees at 53 establishments
  2. (b) 2,615 employees at 44 establishments.

These figures are provisional since some redundancies are reported late. Both the Department of Employment and Manpower Services Commission figures are for redundancies involving 10 or more employees.

Mr. Kilroy-Silk

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what is the number of persons so far made redundant during 1980 in (a) the North-West, (b) Merseyside, (c) Kirkby and (d) Ormskirk and the number of redundancies pending in each place.

Mr. Jim Lester

The information as requested is not available. However, I am informed by the Manpower Services Commission that the number of employees involved in redundancies that were due to occur in the above areas from January to September 1980 is as follows:

(a) North West 58,325
(b) Merseyside 13,240
(c) Kirkby 1,613
(d) Ormskirk 66

Redundancies that are due to occur in the above areas between October and December 1980 are as follows:

(a) North West 9,162
(b) Merseyside 3,342
(c) Kirkby 82
(d) Ormskirk

The figures are for redundancies involving 10 or more employees and are provisional since some notifications are reported late.