HC Deb 13 February 1995 vol 254 cc481-2W
Mr. Cousins

To ask the President of the Board of Trade what assessment he has made of the effect of his proposals for the Insolvency Service on the rights of the employees of the service to transferred rights and conditions.

Mr. Jonathan Evans

In the absence of any decision to contract out the work of official receivers, it is too early to consider the issue of Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations 1981, the implications of which may not become clear until the nature of proposals in any bidding process could be assessed.

Mr. Cousins

To ask the President of the Board of Trade (1) what adjustments to the spending plans for his Department he has made following his proposals for the Insolvency Service;

(2) what provision he has made for redundancy costs arising out of his proposals for the Insolvency Service.

Mr. Jonathan Evans

I refer the hon. Member to the announcement my right hon. and noble Friend Earl Ferrers made on 10 October 1994,Official Report, column 94. No early retirement or severance provisions have been made by my Department, as the preparatory work on increasing private sector involvement in the work of the official receivers is still on-going, nor has my Department made any adjustments to its spending plans.