§ 12. Mr. HepburnTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what plans he has to provide special assistance to employees of Onwa Ltd. in Jarrow. [95834]
§ Mr. CabornI have no such plans as it is not the responsibility of my Department to provide assistance to employees in such cases.
However, I understand from my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Education and Employment that his Department has designated the closure as a large scale redundancy, and that all employees will be eligible for immediate entry to the Department's work-based learning for adults programme. I also understand that his Department is considering a rapid response fund assistance package of up to £153,000, which will provide further help to the Onwa workers in obtaining retraining.