§ Mr. NichollsTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how much of the British Coal Corporation's exceptional restructuring costs listed in the answer to the hon. Member for Teignbridge of 11 November 1998,Official Report, columns 223–24, was spent on redundancy payments in each year from 1979–80 to 1997–98. [63346]
§ Mr. BattleThe following table sets out expenditure by British Coal Corporation over the period 1987 to 1994 on redundancy payments to industrial workers. Prior to 1987 redundancy payments to coal miners were not made by British Coal Corporation but were made under the Government's Redundant Mineworkers' Payments Scheme.
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Expenditure by British Coal Corporation on redundancy payments to industrial workers 1 Year £ million 1987 45 1988 281 1989 401
Expenditure by British Coal Corporation on redundancy payments to industrial workers 1 Year £ million 1990 109 1991 192 1992 405 1993 490 1994 212 1 Management records of British Coal Redundancy Arrangements 1987–1994. Figures are on a calendar year basis.
§ Mr. NichollsTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what was the average redundancy payment made to coal miners made redundant in each year from 1979–80 to 1997–98. [63347]
§ Mr. BattlePrior to 1987 redundancy payments to coal miners were made under the Government's Redundant Mineworkers' Payments Scheme. These payments comprised lump sums plus ongoing weekly benefit for those over a certain age who remained unemployed. It is therefore not possible to calculate meaningful average redundancy payments to coal miners made redundant over that period. From April 1987 British Coal Corporation became responsible for its industrial redundancy arrangements and this comprised a system of lump sum payments only. The following table sets out the average redundancy payment made by British Coal Corporation to redundant colliery industrial workers over the period 1987 to 1994. These figures are on a calendar year basis.
Average lump sum payments under British Coal Redundancy Arrangements1 Year £ 1987 15,300 1988 16,040 1989 18,530 1990 19,675 1991 22,730 1992 21,460 1993 23,535 1994 25,670 1 Management records of British Coal Redundancy Arrangements 1987–1994. Figures are on a calendar year basis
§ Mr. NichollsTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many coal miners were made redundant in each year from 1979–80 to 1997–98. [63345]
§ Mr. BattleThe following table sets out the number of coal miners made redundant from British Coal Corporation over the period 1979/80 up to privatisation in December 1994. Comparable data on redundancies after December 1994 are not readily available.
581W
Year Number of redundancies1 1979–80 1,333 1980–81 2,850 1981–82 9,294 1982–83 8,149 1983–84 17,805 1984–85 6,537 1985–86 30,095 1986–87 27,131 1987–88 16,800 1988–89 6,486 1989–90 13,042 1990–91 8,100
Year Number of redundancies1 1991–92 13,500 1992–93 12,100 1993–94 21,300 1994–95 3,000 1 British Coal Corporation Annual Report and Accounts (various). Data from 1979–80 to 1989–90 inclusive refer to redundancies of industrial workers at collieries. Data from 1990/91 to December 1994 refer to reduction in colliery industrial manpower