§ Sir Patrick Wallasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what recent discussions he has had about redundancy pay for trawlermen.
§ Mr. MacGregorNone. We have, however, considered, in the context of the introduction of measures to encourage the restructuring of the fishing fleet, whether it would be appropriate to seek new powers to compensate those trawlermen whose terms of employment prevent their qualifying for redundancy payments under existing legislation. Our conclusion was that it would not be appropriate to seek to introduce new arrangements at this very late stage in the process of change which the fishing fleet has undergone under successive Governments. Questions relating to the operation of the redundancy payments provisions of the Employment Protection (Consolidation) Act 1978 are, of course, a matter for my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Employment.