§ Lord Grimondasked Her Majesty's Government:
What are the compensation terms offered to miners who take voluntary redundancy.
§ The Earl of AvonMiners who take redundancy are normally eligible for benefits under the Redundant Mineworkers Payments Scheme in addition to any entitlement to a lump sum under the Employment Protection (Consolidation) Act 1978, to unemployment benefit or to an early pension from the Mineworkers Pension Scheme. The benefits are the best for any major industrial group in the United Kingdom. For example a man aged 54 on redundancy could receive, in total, lump sums amounting to over £24,000, plus, if he remains unemployed, weekly support of around £80 per week, with appropriate cost of living increases, to age 65.