Noel Employment Ltd.

HC Deb 29 June 1993 vol 227 cc471-2W

Mr. Fraser

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what is his Department's policy on the payment of redundancy to temporary contract workers

Miss Widdecombe

Estimates from the labour force survey since 1983, of the number of people in Great Britain undertaking apprenticeships within each industry sector, are given in the table. Data for earlier years are not comparable.

employed by Noel Employment Ltd., now in liquidation; and what account his Department takes in such decisions of whether tax and national insurance contributions were deducted by the employer of temporary contract workers.

Miss Widdecombe

Under sections 106 and 122 of the Employment Protection (Consolidation) Act 1978, the Secretary of State may, on application, make redundancy and other payments to employees, as defined in the Act, of insolvent businesses. Each application is considered on its own facts and in accordance with the relevant case law. In determining eligibility consideration is given to a number of factors, including whether schedule E tax and class I national insurance contributions were deducted. However, the employment appeals tribunal has previously ruled that such deductions are not conclusive evidence of employee status.

Decisions have yet to be taken on the majority of claims in respect of Noel Employment Ltd.