HC Deb 18 October 1994 vol 248 cc129-30
5. Mr. Battle

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many 16-year-old school leavers from Leeds, West were placed on training schemes in September.

Mr. Paice

Some 2,900 young people were on youth training in Leeds in July, which is the latest date for which figures are available.

Mr. Battle

Is the Minister aware that 169 youngsters still seek a training place today, 79 of whom have no income and are not on benefit, and 19 of whom live in Bramley and Armley in my constituency? Does the Minister know that if a youngster misses a single interview with the careers service he or she is crossed off the list for a guaranteed scheme? What will happen to such youngsters? Are the Government prepared for some youngsters to become "disappeared persons" who have been consigned out of the training and labour market?

Mr. Paice

The Government do not want any young people to be deprived of the opportunity to go on a proper training programme if they do not have a job or have not gone into full-time education. In fact, at the end of August only three young people in the whole of Leeds were awaiting places on YT courses.

Mr. Tony Lloyd

Is the Minister aware that, not just in Leeds but throughout the country, the youth guarantee has proved to be a shambles and a disgrace? Is he aware that, according to the Government's own figures in the labour force survey, 122,000 16 and 17-year-olds were out of work in the spring of this year? Why should any hon. Member, or any 16-year-old school leaver, believe that the guarantee will be honoured this winter? Will not 16-year-olds, too, be out of work and without benefits?

Mr. Paice

The guarantee is always honoured, and we have made sure that training and enterprise councils have enough resources to honour it. At the end of August, only a third of the number of young people who were awaiting places at the same time last year were awaiting them. As for the labour force survey statistics that the hon. Gentleman has given, he should be aware that that figure also includes a number of other groups that we do not categorise as unemployed—for instance, those who are undertaking full-time education courses but who may be looking for jobs at the same time.