Mr. William O'BrienTo ask the Secretary of State for Employment (1) if he will investigate the length of notice given to workers at the Hall's electrical contracting company in Ossett, West Yorkshire, when it was closed;
(2) if he will investigate the extent of prior consultations with the workers at the Hall's electrical contracting works in Ossett, West Yorkshire, owned by East Midlands Electricity on the closure of the plant;
(3) if he will set up an inquiry into the manner in which workers at the Ossett electrical contracting business 450W company in West Yorkshire owned by the East Midlands Electricity Board were given notice that the company would close.
§ Mr. Michael Forsyth[holding answers 16 May 1994]: Any complaint that an employer has failed to consult representatives of recognised trade unions about proposed redundancy dismissals in accordance with the statutory requirements would be a matter for determination by an industrial tribunal. Rights to individual notice of termination are contractual matters, though statutory minimum periods are specified in section 49 of the Employment Protection (Consolidation) Act 1978. Questions concerning proper contractual notice, or pay in lieu of notice, are matters for the courts.