HC Deb 06 December 1983 vol 50 cc149-50
8. Mr. Lofthouse

asked the Secretary of State for Employment when he will next meet the chairman of the Manpower Services Commission to discuss training and re-training programmes.

Mr. Tom King

I am in frequent contact with the chairman of the Manpower Services Commission to discuss the commission's training and other programmes.

Mr. Lofthouse

It is obvious that the Minister will not give any firm assurances, but will he at least not rule out the possibility of further training for young people leaving YTS at the end of the year with no hope of getting real jobs?

Mr. King

That is not true, in that there is evidence of an increasing number of young people getting jobs—clearly one of the reasons for the shortfall in the take-up of places on the YTS. I understand the point that the hon. Gentleman was making.

Sir Peter Mills

Will my right hon. Friend have a chat with the chairman of the Manpower Services Commission about finance for some of these programmes and remind him that it is extremely embarrassing for Members of Parliament to go round promoting these schemes, only to find that the money is not available? To say the least, I am very annoyed.

Mr. King

I am grateful that my hon. Friend is saying the least on this occasion. I understand the effort which he and a number of hon. Members on both sides of the House have put into what has become a completely successful expansion of the community programme. He will know that we have a problem of the programme expanding much faster than the budgeted figures allowed for, but I have been able to provide additional resources this year. Whereas we budgeted £370 million for this year, we are providing £570 million for next year, and I am determined to see that the programme makes a major contribution. I hope that once it has been checked it will still be possible to see some further development this year.

Mr. Geoffrey Robinson

Will the Secretary of State reconsider his reply to my hon. Friend the Member for Pontefract and Castleford (Mr. Lofthouse), because in my constituency of Coventry, North-West, of the 4,000 places under the YTS, fewer than 2,000 have been taken up? Far from youth unemployment decreasing, it is increasing and is at an all-time high. Does that not show the lack of credibility of the whole programme, and what is the Minister going to do about it?

Mr. King

I hope that in anything that the hon. Member asks me he can stand up and say what he is doing, because he is the constituency Member of Parliament. If he is saying that youth unemployment among that age group is increasing and that there are available places on the youth training scheme, I hope that he is playing his part to encourage young people to go on the scheme. When I go round the country, I am impressed to find on the YTS a number of people whom the employers hope to keep in permanent jobs at the end of their training.

Sir Kenneth Lewis

Is my right hon. Friend aware that he is right to say that the opportunities are there if young people seek to pick them up, but that at the end of the year there will be a real problem in providing training on an apprenticeship basis, and that what we now need is a follow up to the YTS and more apprentices able to take part in long-term training, because industries are cutting back on apprenticeships?

Mr. King

That has been the case, and I am seized of the importance of the point that my hon. Friend makes. I have recently issued a challenge to industry to ensure that, as we now see an improvement in the economy and in the profit performance of industry, we can expect to see an improvement in investment, and one of the most important investments that industry can make is in the training of its skilled work force.