§ Dr. Godmanasked the Secretary of State For Employment if following the result of a test case involving a former British Shipbuilders worker in September 1986, he will publish the number of former British Shipbuilders employees in (a) Greenock and Port Glasgow, (b) Strathclyde, (c) Scotland and (d) England and Wales who have now received payment of unemployment benefit for the first 13 weeks of their redundancy; what has been the average payment; what has been the total amount paid so far to those so entitled to this payment of benefit; what estimate he has of the number still to receive this payment and when they will receive such payment; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. Lee[holding answer, 26 November 1987]: No record is kept of unemployment benefit payments arising from claims made in any particular set of circumstances.
Claims for unemployment benefit made by ex-British Shipbuilders employees and disallowed because of the 13-week payment received have been reviewed and those claimants who have not already been paid 312 days of unemployment benefit (the maximum amount payable in any period of unemployment) have received a payment of the arrears due. In addition my Department is now making special payments to certain ex-British Shipbuilders employees who at the time of their redundancy did not make a claim to unemployment benefit on the advice of their unemployment benefit office. It is too early to say 838W how many people have received the special payments. However it is anticipated that the average amount of these payments will be approximately £314.