HC Deb 05 July 1988 vol 136 cc567-8W
Mr. Barry Field

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will list those organisations who have refused to take part in the employment training programme.

Mr. Nicholls

The Training Commission is currently negotiating contracts with organisations which have applied to take part in employment training, either as training agents or training managers. Contracts should be exchanged during July. It is, therefore, not possible to assess at this stage which organisations will refuse to take part in employment training. However, the response has been very good and in general, organisations are bidding to deliver significantly more plans than are needed to launch the programme successfully on 5 September.

Ms. Short

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if, pursuant to his answer of 23 June, he will outline the circumstances in which the participants on employment training will benefit from a £15 per week disregard for income received above their standard entitlements.

Mr. Lee

If participants in employment training who are in receipt of income support undertake paid work outside the programme, the normal disregards will be applied under DHSS regulations. For most people, this is a £5 weekly disregard, but the earnings of lone parents, people in receipt of a disability premium, couples aged under 60 who have been in receipt of supplementary benefit or income support for two years, and people in certain specialist occupations such as retained fire-fighters all attract a £15 weekly disregard.

Ms. Short

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment whether severely disabled people in receipt of severe disablement allowance will be allowed to retain their severe disablement allowance and receive all other payments to which trainees are entitled throughout their stay on the employment training scheme.

Mr. Nicholls

[holding answer 30 June 1988]: People who are in receipt of severe disablement allowance will receive a training allowance on entering employment training, which gives a premium of £10 over their benefit level while they train. They will be eligible to receive all other payments to which trainees on the programme are entitled.