Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will take steps to provide financial aid to employees requiring support to up-skill and retrain in the event of the closure of the Walkers crisps factory in Peterlee.

In the event of the closure of a large employer the Department for Work & Pensions provide redundancy support through its ‘Rapid Response Service’.

This support can include:

• A skills analysis to help identify transferable skills and training needs relevant to the local labour market;

• Job-focused training to help individuals develop vocational skills needed within the local labour market;

• An action fund to overcome individual short-term barriers to taking up a specific job offer, e.g. travel to work expenses;

• Advice on claiming benefits, self-employment and tax credits.