§ Mr. Richard Wainwrightasked the Secretary of State for Employment what is his policy relating to first renewal of special temporary employment programme grants to projects successfully reaching the half-way stage towards viability.
§ Mr. Jim LesterI am informed by the Manpower Services Commission that there is a small number of schemes funded under the special temporary employment programme which are aiming to become financially viable within the period of MSC funding and thereby create permanent jobs. These schemes, which have an income from sales or the provision of services, are funded initially for one year. Towards the end of this period an assessment is made of their progress towards viability, and funding may be renewed for up to one further year where the assessment indicates that a scheme has a reasonable prospect of becoming fully self-financing within that period.
Schemes currently running may be renewed if this criterion is satisfied, but following the announcement of reductions in public expenditure, new schemes under the special temporary employment programme will be approved only in special development areas, development areas and inner city areas after 12 June 1979.
§ Mr. Fosterasked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will list the number of firms in the Bishop Auckland area and the number of jobs involved at each firm currently being supported by employment subsidies.
§ Mr. Jim LesterI regret that the information is not available in the precise form requested.
The numbers of current applications for employment subsidies and jobs involved in Bishop Auckland are:
Applications approved Jobs involved Temporary Employment Subsidy 3 73 Small Firms Employment Subsidy 32 24
§ Mr. Meacherasked the Secretary of State for Employment what was the 280W number of jobs supported by temporary employment subsidy at February 1978 in the textiles, clothing and footwear sector and other sectors, respectively; and what is the number of jobs supported currently in these sectors, respectively, according to the latest available information, under the new rules for short-time working announced on 15 March 1978.
§ Mr. Jim LesterI regret that an industrial analysis of jobs being supported by TES at February 1978 is not available and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost. However at 31 March 1978, 95,963 jobs in the textiles, clothing and footwear sectors, and 77,104 jobs in other sectors were being supported by the scheme.
At 31 May 1979, the short-time working compensation scheme, which was introduced for employers in the textiles, clothing and footwear sectors, was supporting 10,270 jobs in those sectors.