§ Mr. Ray Powellasked the Secretary of State for Energy if he will give details of redundancy payments available for opencast coal industry workers under article 56 of the Treaty of Paris.
§ Mr. David HuntArticle 56.2(b) of the treaty empowers the Commission to provide certain non-repayable aids towards tideover allowances, payments to workers temporarily laid off, resettlement and vocational training.
Such aid depends upon undertakings in the coal or steel industries needing permanently to discontinue, curtail or change their activities as a result of fundamental changes in the market conditions of those industries. It will be provided, on application by a member Government, only if that Government are themselves contributing at least an equivalent figure.