§ Dr. GodmanTo ask the Secretary of State for Employment what is the total number of former employees of British Shipbuilders plc who have received 13 weeks' arrears of unemployment benefit following the test case in Southampton involving a former employee of the company; what the average payment was; from which of his Department's offices the payments were made to the ex-employees; and what was the total amount paid out.
§ Mr. LeeInformation is not available in the precise form requested, as records are not kept of unemployment benefit payments arising from claims made in any particular set of circumstances. However, claims for unemployment benefit made by ex-British Shipbuilders employees who were disallowed because of the 13-week payment they received have now been reviewed. Those claimants who had not been paid 312 days of unemployment benefit (the maximum amount payable in any period of unemployment) should by now have received payment of the arrears due. Payments have been made from the offices where the application for arrears were made.
My Department has also authorised special payments to those ex-British Shipbuilders employees who at the time of their redundancy did not make claim to unemployment benefit, either on the advice of their unemployment benefit office or for some other good reason. The number qualifying for these payments, up until September 1988, is 8,389, giving a total of £2,514,265.59 being paid out. The average amount of these payments is £299.71.