§ Mrs. Shirley Williamsasked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will ascertain from industries in the public sector how many apprentices or trainees they could accommodate in their training establishments in the current year if the economic costs of such training were met by the Manpower Services Commission.
§ Mr. Peter MorrisonI regret that costs preclude a special study. It is known, however, that industries in the public sector, in common with those in the private sector, have spare training capacity. Public sector industries are eligible in the same way as private industry to receive assistance under the Manpower Services Commission's "Training for Skills Programme", under which some 35, 000 extra training places are being supported in the current year. Public sector establishments are also encouraged to take part in the youth opportunities programme and we hope that they will play a full part in the development of the youth training scheme.
§ Mrs. Shirley Williamsasked the Secretary of State for Employment what steps have been taken to find out from local authorities what premises are available, including redundant educational premises, for the Government's training scheme for the young unemployed.
§ Mr. AlisonThe Manpower Services Commission is consulting the education service and others, as well as its own field staff, about the resource implications for the further education service of both the expansion of the youth opportunities programme in 1982–83 and subsequent developments.
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§ Mr. Robert C. Brownasked the Secretary of State for Employment how many young people who left school in the summer of 1981 in (a) Newcastle upon Tyne and (b) Tyne and Wear County are on the youth opportunites programme or similar scheme.
§ Mr. AlisonInformation is not available in the form requested. However, the estimated number of entrants to the youth opportunities programme between 1 April and end November 1981 in the areas concerned was as follows:
Area Number of entrants Newcastle upon Tyne 2, 560 Tyne and Wear County 10, 400 It is estimated that some 60 per cent. of these entrants are 1981 school leavers.
In addition, the following numbers of young people were employed on community industry schemes.
Community Industry Unit Young people on the scheme at end November 1981 Newcastle 162 South Tyneside 180 Sunderland 153 No estimates are available of the number of young employees on CI who are 1981 school leavers.