14. Mr. Tony D. WrightWhat representations he has received from employers in the (a) tourism, (b) leisure and (c) hospitality industries in respect of the new deal for young unemployed people. [18760]
§ Mr. Alan HowarthOn 24 November, my right hon. Friend the Minister for Employment, Welfare to Work and Disability Rights took part in a major conference for the tourism and leisure industry on the new deal, chaired by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport. He tells me that he was delighted by the range of support and the enthusiasm for the new deal among employers in these important sectors. The Employment Service will now talk to 40 leading companies which participated in this event to discuss their involvement in more detail.
Mr. WrightI thank the Minister for his response, but does he agree that, in a constituency such as mine—Great Yarmouth—where work in the tourism industry is seasonal and poorly paid, employers taking part in the new deal must recognise that the most important part of the new deal is the training element for young unemployed people in the constituency and throughout the country?
§ Mr. HowarthMy hon. Friend is right to be worried about the interests of his constituents who may be taking part in the new deal, but I believe that the opportunities that can be provided in the tourism sector will be very important and valuable; it is one of the leading growth sectors in employment. 1181 The safeguards for young people participating in the new deal are the formal agreements to be struck between the Employment Service and the employer, the guarantee of training, properly funded, setting the young person on the path to qualification, the continuing monitoring by personal advisers and, in the event that something goes really wrong, the new deal hotline, which will enable participants in the new deal to raise questions about whether they are receiving a proper deal, as I believe that they will.