FOI release

FOI227 - HR1 data for March 2020/2021

Updated 27 October 2021

Our ref: FOI20/21-227 Date: 20 April 2021

Dear

Re: Freedom of Information Act 2000

Thank you for your email of 23 March 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 March, for the years 2020 and 2021.

I would also like to know the aggregate number of positions mentioned as at risk of redundancy in those filings in the month of March, for the years 2020 and 2021.

I would also like to request separate totals for England, Scotland and Wales for HR1 forms received and total positions at risk for the month of March.

If possible it would be lovely to have the unrounded totals for the UK, as well as rounded totals.

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

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.

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 foi@insolvency.gov.uk 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 Insolvency 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 FOI20/21-227

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

March 2020 and March 2021

England Scotland Wales Unknown / Other Unrounded Total
2020 March 280 40 20 145 481
2021 March 285 15 15 40 354

Source: Insolvency Service

* Indicates a non-zero number less than 5, suppressed for statistical disclosure control purposes.

  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 Potential Redundancies for HR1 forms received in England, Scotland and Wales

March 2020 and March 2021

England Scotland Wales Unknown / Other Unrounded Total
2020 March 23,600 2,400 900 17,300 44,235
2021 March 20,700 900 900 5,300 27,809

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.