§ Mr. Gryllsasked the Prime Minister whether she is satisfied with the co-ordination between the Department of Industry and other Departments responsible for schemes which affect small businesses, and in particular (a) with the Department of Health and Social Security on the level of earnings subject to national insurance contributions in defining a small firm for the purposes of compensating employers under the proposed statutory sick payment scheme and (b) with the Department of Employment about the minimum number of redundancies necessary before a firm can benefit from the short-time working compensation scheme.
§ The Prime MinisterThe Department of Industry takes a positive interest in all issues of concern to small74W businesses. The Government regularly reappraise all aspects of our extensive programme of special employment measures, including the minimum qualifying number of redundancies under the temporary short-time working compensation scheme. My hon. Friend the Member for Norfolk, South (Mr. MacGregor) the Under-Secretary of State for Industry, has made clear to small firms representative bodies his interest in, and his willingness to discuss, their views on the proposed employers' statutory sick pay scheme, over and above any dealings they may have direct with the Department of Health and Social Security.