§ Mr. Mike O'BrienTo ask the Secretary of State for Employment how his Department meets its obligations under EC directive 75/129/EEC as amended by Council directive 92/56/EEC concerning the consultation period provided for in paragraph 1 to be used by the competent432W public authority to seek solutions to the problems raised by the projected collective redundancies; how these obligations are met locally in respect of redundancies at a particular establishment; and how these obligations are met nationally where redundancies affect more than one establishment in more than one region.
§ Mr. Michael ForsythStatutory advance notifications of possible redundancies provided by employers are made available in confidence to the Employment Service, training and enterprise councils—local enterprise com-panies in Scotland—the Careers Service and other relevant Government Departments in order that assistance can be offered where appropriate to the employers and employees concerned. Such assistance is given most effectively at local level.
§ Mr. Mike O'BrienTo ask the Secretary of State for Employment what judicial and administrative procedures for the enforcement of obligations under the EC directive 75/129/EEC as amended by Council directive 92/56/EEC are available to(a) the representatives of workers and (b) workers themselves to ensure that the competent public authority has fulfilled its obligations.
§ Mr. Michael ForsythThe directives confer on workers' representatives a right to be consulted about prospective redundancies and on employers a duty to inform the Employment Department. Consultation rights are enforceable through the industrial tribunals upon a complaint by a recognised trade union. Failure to notify the Department is an offence under section 194 of the Trade Union and Labour Relations (Consolidation) Act 1992.