HC Deb 13 November 1981 vol 12 cc201-2W
Sir Anthony Meyer

asked the Secretary of State for Employment which projects or programmes in the United Kingdom were the main recipients of grants from the European social fund in 1980 and in the first nine months of 1981.

Mr. Alison

Allocations from the European social fund in any one calendar year are made in respect of schemes starting during that year. Allocations to the United Kingdom for schemes starting in the calendar year 1980 totalled £135.2 million. Allocations for schemes starting in 1981 totalled £141 million. It is not possible to quote figures for part of a year.

Th principal allocations in both years were in respect of schemes of vocational training, vocational preparation and employment rehabilitation run by the Manpower Services Commission in Great Britain—mainly the youth opportunities programme, the training opportunities scheme and the training for skills programme. Similar schemes in Northern Ireland run by the Department of Manpower Services also attracted allocations in both years.

In 1980 and 1981 a number of small allocations were made in respect of schemes run by national Government Departments, nationalised industries, private firms and voluntary organisations.

Sir Anthony Meyer

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what proportion of total disbursements from the European social fund has come to the United Kingdom in every year since 1973; and how this compares with the United Kingdom's share of the Community's labour force.

Mr. Alison

The United Kingdom's percentage share of allocations from the European social fund in each year since 1973 is set out in the following table. Because allocations before 1978 were made in the now obsolete unit of account—which assumed a fixed parity between currencies—it is not possible to compare directly the figures for 1973–77 with those for 1978 and subsequent years which are based on the European unit of account. The percentages shown for 1973–77, therefore, are indicative only.

per cent.
1973 28.2
1974 22.0
1975 24.8
1976 19.6
1977 26.1
1978 19.7
1979 25.4
1980 22.7
1981 25.1

The United Kingdom working population represented about 24 per cent. of the European Community labour force up to the accession of Greece at the beginning of 1981. It is now estimated to be 23 per cent.