§ Ms. PrimaroloTo ask the Secretary of State for Employment what estimate he has made of the number of YTS places needed in order to ensure that there will be enough suitable places for every individual in every area; and if he plans to provide more places than there will be entrants to ensure that entrants have a choice of places.
§ Mr. CopeThe Government have given an undertaking that a YTS place will be made available for all 16 and 17-year-olds who want one. The Manpower Services Commission will provide 545,000 YTS places in 1988–89. This figure is over 100,000 more than the expected number of YTS trainees, and sufficient to ensure that young people do not necessarily have to take the first place offered to them.
Percentage change over: Region One year Two years Three years Four years South East -23.1 -24.6 -22.6 -17.2 (Greater London) (-18.3) (-18.9) (-15.7) (-9.3) East Anglia -25.4 -25.9 -21.6 -18.3 South West -20.7 -22.8 -19.9 -13.5 West Midlands -19.2 -21.4 -21.5 -19.4 East Midlands -17.5 -18.2 -17.0 -11.5 Yorkshire and Humberside -15.8 -16.6 -12.3 -7.0 North West -15.5 -17.5 -16.9 -14.9 North -14.0 -17.4 -15.9 -10.8 Wales -16.3 -21.1 -19.0 -13.5 Scotland -12.2 -8.3 -5.6 -2.5 Great Britain -18.1 -19.4 -17.5 -13.3 Northern Ireland -7.1 -1.4 4.9 5.6 United Kingdom -17.6 -18.7 -16.7 -12.5