§ Mr. Fosterasked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will give the number of participants in the training opportunities scheme for each year since 1976, 65W for each region and for the United Kingdom as a whole; what is the proportion of applicants rejected in each case; and, of these, what proportion were rejected because of failing the English test.
§ Mr. Peter MorrisonI shall reply to the hon. Member as soon as possible.
§ Mr. Fosterasked the Secretary of State for Employment if he is satisfied with the relevance of the English test for training opportunities scheme applicants; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. Peter MorrisonAn English test is used in the selection of trainees for courses in clerical and commercial subjects provided by the Manpower Services Commission under the training opportunities scheme. The test, which represents just one part of the selection procedure, is used to help sift out applicants who would be unable to benefit from the training course for which they have applied. A revised and improved version of the test is about to be introduced which, as the original test, has been validated as reliable for use under required conditions.