§ Mrs. Ann Taylorasked the Secretary of State for Employment how many jobs in the Bolton employment office area are currently being supported by the special temporary employment programme; and 618W how many jobs have been helped by special temporary employment programmes or the temporary employment subsidy in the last 12 months.
§ Mr. Jim LesterInformation on jobs supported under STEP and the temporary employment subsidy—TES—is not available in the form requested. About 20 people in Bolton local authority district are currently on schemes approved under the special temporary employment programme—STEP. Since STEP was introduced on 1 April 1978 six schemes have been approved offering 80 temporary jobs although all these places are not yet available. A total of 86 applications covering 8,016 jobs were approved under TES in the Bolton employment office area from 18 August 1975 when the scheme opened to 31 March 1979 when it closed for applications.
§ Mrs. Ann Taylorasked the Secretary of State for Employment how many jobs in the Bolton employment office area are currently being supported by the temporary short-time working compensation scheme; and how many have been so helped in the last year.
§ Mr. Jim Lester125 jobs were supported in the Bolton employment office area under the short-time working arrangements of the temporary employment subsidy—TES—scheme during the period from 15 May 1978 to 31 March 1979 when the scheme closed for applications.
Seventy-five jobs have supported under the temporary short-time working compensation scheme, which was introduced on 1 April 1979.
§ Mrs. Ann Taylorasked the Secretary of State for Employment how many firms, and how many jobs in the Bolton employment office area, have been supported by the small firms employment subsidy in the last 12 months; and how many firms and jobs are supported currently.
§ Mr. Jim LesterDuring the last 12 months 122 firms have joined the small firms employment subsidy scheme and a total of 786 jobs have been supported in the course of the year, in the Bolton employment office area. Currently, 65 firms are claiming the subsidy and 391 jobs are being supported.
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§ Mr. David Youngasked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will issue a detailed statement on how the reduction of Bolton to non-assisted status will affect employment in Bolton.
§ Mr. Jim LesterThe changes in assisted area boundaries announced by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Industry on 17 July will not affect Bolton until 1 August 1982. They should therefore have no effect on employment there before that date.
Future levels of employment depend upon a number of factors which cannot be predicted with any degree of certainty and I am unable to give any reliable indication of what effect the change of status might have after August 1982.