FOI release

FOI 140: HR1 data for November 2019 and 2020

Updated 15 February 2021

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Our ref: FOI20/21-140

Date: 22 December 2020

Dear ,

Re: Freedom of Information Act 2000

Thank you for your email of 24 November 2020 in which you requested the following from the Insolvency Service:

“I would like to know the number of HR1 Advance Notice of Redundancy forms submitted in the UK in the month of November, for the years 2019 and 2020.

I would also like to know the aggregate number of positions mentioned as at risk of redundancy in those filings in the month of November, for the years 2019 and 2020.

If there have been any revisions for the totals for the previous months as stated in reply to previous FOI requests, please do let me know what they are.

Also, I requested separate totals for England, Scotland and Wales for the number of forms received and positions at risk in FOI 20/21-127.

If possible to do so under the cost limits specified in Section 12 of the Act, could I request separate totals for England, Scotland and Wales for HR1 forms received and total positions at risk for the month of November?”

Your request has been dealt with under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (FOIA).

I can confirm the agency holds the information that you have requested, and the

requested information on HR1 forms and potential redundancies is included in the attached annexe.

Please note that employers are only required to file a Form HR1 where they are “proposing” to dismiss 20 or more employees at a single “establishment”.

“Propose” and “establishment” have distinct meanings in this context.

The aggregate number could include proposed dismissals due to insolvency, restructuring of a solvent/continuing business, changes to terms and conditions, proposed relocation of employees etc.

It should also be noted that a proposal to make a given number of dismissals does not necessarily result in all or any of the proposed dismissals occurring.

Please note that the figures may differ from those previously provided. Occasionally some HR1 form contain errors and are rejected (employer has resubmitted another form, or the form contained less than 20 proposed redundancies and so there was no requirement to notify). As a result, a small number of HR1s each month are reclassified as ‘inactive’ and are no longer included in figures.

If you are not satisfied with the response we have provided you and would like us to reconsider our decision by way of an internal review (IR), please contact our Information Rights Team at [email protected] or by post at:

Information Rights Team

The Insolvency Service

3rd Floor

Cannon House

18 Priory Queensway

Birmingham

B4 6FD

United Kingdom

You also have the right to contact the Information Commissioners Office (ICO) if you wish for them to investigate any complaint you may have regarding our handling of your request. However, please note that the ICO is likely to expect an IR to have been completed in the first instance.

Kind regards

Redundancy Payments Service

The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, Official receivers and the Adjudicator are Data Controllers in respect of personal data processed by the Insolvency Service. For the details about how personal data is processed by the agency, please see the full Insolvency Service Personal Information Charter here: https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/insolvency-service/about/personal-information-charter

Annexe to FOI 20/21-140

Table 1: Number of HR1 forms received in England, Scotland and Wales

November 2019 and November 2020

England Scotland Wales Unknown/Other Total
2019 November 180 20 5 100 305
2020 November 430 45 20 60 550

Source : Insolvency Service

  1. Numbers greater than 5 have been rounded to the nearest 5 for statistical disclosure control purposes

  2. Aggregates may not sum to totals due to rounding.

Table 2: Number of possible redundancies in England, Scotland and Wales

November 2019 and November 2020

England Scotland Wales Unknown/Other Total
2019 November 12,200 1,100 200 14,200 27,700
2020 November 27,400 2,300 500 6,400 36,700

Source : Insolvency Service

  1. Numbers greater than 100 have been rounded to the nearest 100 for statistical disclosure control purposes

  2. Aggregates may not sum to totals due to rounding.

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