§ Mr. Pendryasked the Secretary of State for Employment how many people in the Ashton travel-to-work area are currently being supported by the temporary short-time working compensation scheme; and what figures are available about the percentage of workers being made redundant at the end of the period of assistance.
§ Mr. Peter MorrisonThere were 2,748 potentially redundant employees being supported under the temporary' short-time working compensation scheme in the Ashton-under-Lyne travel-to-work area in January 1981.
In an evaluation survey carried out at the end of 1979 and summarised in the May 1980 edition of the Employment Gazette it was shown that about a quarter of the firms consulted thought that they would still have to declare redundancies when their support under the scheme came to an end. A further survey is currently being commissioned.