§ 15. Mr. FranksTo ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will make a statement on the numbers of YTS trainees who obtain employment within six months of completing their training.
§ Mr. CopeA total of 82 per cent. of young people completing their YTS course obtain employment soon after.
§ Mr. FranksThat figure will be welcomed by all hon. Members, or at least by all Members who sit on the Conservative Benches. Is it not the case that the youth training scheme was, and still is, opposed by the Labour party? Is not the Government's record in stark contrast with the hollow words and crocodile tears of the Labour party?
§ Mr. CopeThe Labour party does not seem to be of one mind about YTS. Sometimes it supports it and sometimes the Labour party gets in its way. I thank my hon. Friend for his comments about the figures. In Barrow in Furness, 90.4 per cent. of young people who complete YTS obtain employment and that is even better than the national average.
§ Mr. AshleyHow many of these trainees are disabled? What has been their comparative success rate in taking up jobs' after six months training?
§ Mr. CopeI cannot answer that without notice, but I will write to the right hon. Gentleman and give him the figures.
§ 17. Mr. WoodTo ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will make a statement on the number of young people currently undertaking training on YTS.
§ Mr. WoodIs my hon. Friend aware that YTS has made a major contribution in Stevenage to many young people's successful transition from school to work? Is my hon. Friend satisfied that the work in terms of the two year scheme is going well?
§ Mr. CopeYes. It has made a major contribution and it is improving the training record all the time.