§ Mr. John Evansasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if, since local education authority budgets have been reduced due to transfers to the Manpower Services Commission's budget in respect of expenditure in connection with the youth training scheme, local education authorities will receive refunds out of the £1 billion allocated for the youth training scheme if places remain unfilled on the scheme.
§ Mr. William SheltonLocal authorities' budgets have not been reduced by transfers to the Manpower Services Commission's budget for expenditure in respect of the youth training scheme. Where local authorities act as managing agents of sponsors for the scheme they will receive a grant from the MSC for each young person participating in respect of the cost of the training grant to the young person, the direct training costs to the local authority and the charges for the off-the-job element of the 335W scheme. Where local education authorities provide the off-the-job element through their colleges of further education, they will receive payment on the basis of charges negotiated by the local authority associations with the CBI and the MSC, Apart from charges for paticipants in mode A of the scheme where allowance has been made for substitution for traditional day and block release provision, the charges are intended to meet the full cost of the provision nationally. It must be for individual local authorities and their colleges to decide whether they will participate in the scheme, but I hope that they will do so.