§ Mr. Forthasked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will give the details of budget and places available for skillcentres by region for the years 1982, 1983 and 1984; what proportion of such funds and places were in the west midlands; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. Peter MorrisonThe number of places available in skillcentres by region in 1982 and 1983 are set out in the following table; in each year 9.6 per cent. of the total number of places were in the west midlands. I regret that no financial information for those years is available on a regional basis. The budgets and the number of places to be provided in 1984–85 will depend on the volume of business attracted by skillcentres operating on a cost recovery basis as my right hon. Friend the previous Secretary of State announced in his reply to my hon. Friend the Member for Saffron Walden (Mr. Haselhurst) on 21 January 1983, at column236.
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Region Total available places 1982 1983 Scotland 1,676 1,654 North West 1,994 1,946 Northern 1,327 1,298 Yorks and Humberside 1,386 1,454 Midlands 2,422 2,450 (including West Midlands) (1,489) (1,493) Wales 1,268 1,208 South East 2,655 2,742 South West 1,175 1,236 London 1,588 1,552 Total 15,491 15,540