§ Mr. Fosterasked the Secretary of State for Employment how many additional work experience on employers' premises places are being approved to accommodate the increase in the number of youth opportunities programme trainees; and what proportion of all additional places this represents.
§ Mr. Peter MorrisonIn 1980–81 360,000 unemployed young people took part in the youth opportunities programme of whom some 240,000 participated in work experience on employers' premises schemes. In 1981–82 there are expected to be about 450,000 entrants to the programme, including over 260,000 young people who may participate in work experience on employers' premises schemes. Additional places on the programme for the expected increase in the number of trainees will be approved as they become available.
May 1979 May 1981 (Provisional) Number unemployed Percentage rate of unemployment Number unemployed Percentage rate of unemployment Liverpool travel-to-work area 57,060 11.8 79,734 16.7 Merseyside special development area 78,291 11.3 114,510 16.6
§ Mr. Parryasked the Secretary of State for Employment (1) what is the number of unemployed aged under 18 years in the Liverpool travel-to-work area at the latest date; and what it was in May, 1979;
(2) what is the number of unemployed aged under 18 years in the Merseyside special development area at the latest date; and what was the number in May, 1979;
(3) what was the approximate number of unemployed in the Liverpool, Scotland Exchange constituency at the latest date; and how many of these were 18 years of age.
§ Mr. Peter MorrisonI shall reply to the hon. Member as soon as possible.
§ Mr. Parryasked the Secretary of State for Employment (1) what plans he has to reduce unemployment in the Liverpool travel-to-work area and the Merseyside special development area, respectively; and if he will make a statement;
(2) if he will list in the Official Report the number of firms closed down in the Merseyside special development area since May 1979 to the latest date; and how many workers were involved;
(3) how many rendundancies have been declared in the Merseyside special development area since May 1979 to the latest date.
§ Mr. Peter MorrisonThere are no comprehensive statistics of closures or redundancies. The number of closures of establiments involving redundancies of 10 or more employees so far reported to the Manpower Services Commission as due to occur in the Merseyside special development area between May 1979 and May 1981
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§ Mr. Fosterasked the Secretary of State for Employment how often on average Manpower Services Commission youth opportunities programme monitors visit work experience on employers' premises schemes to check that agreed standards are being followed.
§ Mr. Peter MorrisonStatistics of the average numbers of monitoring visits made to work experience on employers' premises schemes under the youth opportunities programme are not available.