§ Mr. BurdenTo ask the Secretary of State for Employment (1) on how many occasions in each of the last five years he has taken action against employers failing to notify his Department of impending redundancies under section 193 of the Trade Union and Labour Relations (Consolidation) Act 1992; and what action was taken on each occasion; [29452]
(2) on how many occasions in each of the last five years he has learned of failures by employers to notify his Department of impending redundancies under section 193 of the Trade Union and Labour Relations (Consolidation) Act 1992. [29451]
§ Mr. Oppenheim[holding answer 19 June 1995]: Information on the number of allegations of an employer's failure to notify my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State in accordance with section 193 of the Trade Union and Labour Relations (Consolidation) Act 1992 is not recorded, though appropriate inquiries are made in such cases. The number of instances in each of the last five years where the Department was notified, but where the notification did not fully meet the requirements of section 193 of the Act is as follows:
- 1990: 2,828
- 1991: 4,021
- 1992: 4,724
- 1993: 2,630
- 1994: 1,918
In each case an explanation was sought and the full requirements of the legislation brought to the employer's attention. The legislation provides that where it is not reasonably practical to comply with the full requirements, the employer should take all reasonable steps to comply as far as possible. Taking account of this, it has not so far been found appropriate to prosecute an employer.