PARLIAMENTARY WRITTEN QUESTION
Sahaviriya Steel Industries UK: Redcar (3 November 2015)

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what estimate he has made of the number of people who have accessed the Government support package for people affected by the closure of the SSI steelworks in Redcar.

Asked by:
Anna Turley (Labour)

There are a number of different elements of support for people affected by the closure of the SSI steelworks in Redcar. These include:

• Redundancy-related payments paid by the Redundancy Payments Service. 1988 payments are currently being or have been processed and the majority of payments made to individuals.

• A Jobs Fair, which was attended by over 1800 people

• A Jobcentre Plus helpline, which has dealt with around 4000 calls

• A support Hub, which has provided a wide range of advice and guidance to over 2000 individuals

The Government will not impose solutions from Whitehall and will continue to work closely with the local taskforce to deliver the proposals it has identified as having a real and lasting impact. This includes:

- a £1.7m support fund to enable SSI’s 50 apprentices complete their training

- a £16.5m Jobs and Skills Fund to help local firms employ former SSI workers or their spouses in full-time or part-time jobs for a minimum of three years

- £16m support for firms in the SSI supply chain and wider Tees Valley impacted by the Redcar steelworks closure, to safeguard jobs, provide the stimulus to create new posts and provide expert assistance to help them expand their business

Answered by:
Anna Soubry (The Independent Group for Change)
13 November 2015