§ Mr. CranTo ask the President of the Board of Trade (1), pursuant to her letter of 11 May 1998, when her Department' s Redundancy Payments Service will complete its scrutiny of claims for payments under the Employment Rights Act 1996 from former employees of the ABI Group; [48808]
518W(2) what are the reasons for delays in processing claims by her Department's Redundancy Payments Service from former employees of the ABI Group who are seeking payments under the Employment Rights Act 1996. [48807]
§ Mr. Ian McCartney[holding answer 7 July 1998]: Information came to light after 11 May suggesting a possible transfer of the business, or part of it, to a new employer within the meaning of the Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations 1981. Those Regulations provide that, where such a transfer takes place, employees automatically transfer to the new employer under existing terms and conditions of employment. Further inquiries were therefore made as a matter of urgency.
Sufficient information has now been received to establish entitlement on some claims and they are being processed. Information remains outstanding in other cases and is being sought as a matter of urgency.
§ Mr. CranTo ask the President of the Board of Trade when her Department's Redundancy Payments Service received from the Receiver the redundancy payment forms relating to former employees of the ABI Group who are seeking payments under the Employment Rights Act 1996. [48809]
§ Mr. Ian McCartney[holding answer 7 July 1998]: The Department's Redundancy Payments Service received the first tranche of these employees' claim forms from the Receiver on 19 May 1998.