asked the Secretary of State for Employment (1) what has been the total cost of redundancy payments in each of the last five years; what it is for current year; and what are the estimates for 1980–81, 1981–82;(2) what was the average amount paid to individuals in respect of redundancy payments in each of the last five years; and what it will be in the current year;(3) whether the statistics kept concerning redundancy payments show what proportion of such payments is made to people, who, havirg left their jobs, go immediately into retirement.
[pursuant to his reply, 1 April 1980]: The total cost of statutory redundancy payments and the average individual payments made during the past five financial years were as follows:
| Total payments | £ |
| 1974–75 | 91,575,000 |
| 1975–76 | 201,991,000 |
| 1976–77 | 175,690,000 |
| 1977–78 | 160,151,000 |
| 1978–79 | 198,142,000 |
| 1979–80 | 169,767,000 |
| (1st three quarters) | |
| Average payments | £ |
| 1974–75 | 431 |
| 1975–76 | 553 |
| 1976–77 | 605 |
| 1977–78 | 709 |
| 1978–79 | 770 |
| 1979–80 | 889 |
| (1st three quarters) | |
starting courses in 1979–80, and the corresponding provision which it is proposed in present plans will be made for 1980–81.
no entitlement to a redundancy payment where an employee becomes redundant at or after the statutory retirement age.