10. Mr. Jim Callaghanasked the Paymaster General what is his estimate of the number of the current year's YTS leavers who will not find full-time employment.
§ Mr. TrippierWe do not predict or estimate results in advance and it would be wrong to do so, but survey results covering those who left YTS between April and December 1985 show that around 60 per cent. had found employment and some two thirds had entered work, further education or further training.
Mr. Jim CallaghanIs the Minister aware of the depth of real concern among parents, the youth of the country and the careers service about the lack of jobs for those youngsters who complete the YTS scheme? Will he tell the House exactly what the Government intend to do in the immediate future to provide real jobs for all our youngsters?
§ Mr. TrippierI am sure that the hon. Gentleman would accept that no one, or no party, has a monopoly of concern about these youngsters who cannot find jobs immediately. That is precisely why we have introduced the new workers scheme. As part of the restart scheme under the action for jobs programme, we are of course very anxious to help these people.
§ Mr. LyellIs my hon. Friend aware that not all of us read the Paymaster General's Birmingham speech yesterday with liver-tinted spectacles and that some of us see much good sense in enabling those who have learnt skills on Government training schemes to put them into effect in a practical and commercial setting?
§ Mr. TrippierI am sorry that my hon. and learned Friend did not have the opportunity to read the newspaper reports of the speech made yesterday by my right hon. and learned Friend the Paymaster General. However, if he had read them, he would no doubt have been impressed, as a whole new world would have been opened up to him.