HC Deb 07 March 1988 vol 129 cc41-2W
Mr. Strang

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment on what basis the proposed bridging allowance was calculated for young people at £15 per week; and whether he has any plans to increase the amount to the same rate as that payable under income support.

Mr. Cope

The proposed YTS bridging allowance has been set at £15 per week in order to provide short-term help for young people who have to wait for a few weeks for a YTS place after leaving a job or a previous YTS place. The allowance will be paid for a maximum of eight weeks, during which time the offer of a YTS place will be made. The allowance is more than twice the level of child benefit.

The allowance is not a form of income support, nor is it intended to support young people in any way over a long period of time. We shall, of course, keep the level of the allowance under review.

Mr. Strang

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment whether a young person discharged from a YTS place through no fault of her or his own will be entitled to a bridging allowance under the Employment Bill 1988 of more than eight weeks if they had completed 18 months of a YTS placement and still had six months before their 18th birthday and were unable to obtain another suitable YTS place.

Mr. Cope

The YTS bridging allowance will be limited to a maximum period of eight weeks in any year for all young people except registered disabled people.

All young people under 18 are guaranteed a place on YTS. This includes young people who have left a previous YTS place. The current rules preventing those with limited YTS entitlement from re-entering YTS will be changed to ensure that they can re-enter YTS and complete their training right up to their 18th birthday.

Mr. Strang

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will ensure that bridging allowance for young people under the Employment Bill 1988 will be paid immediately their parents cease receiving child benefit.

Mr. Cope

No. The child benefit and YTS bridging allowance payments are designed for different groups of young people and are not intended to run consecutively. The new YTS bridging allowance is for young people who are already in the labour market who apply for YTS after having left or lost a job or previous YTS place.

Mr. Strang

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment whether bridging allowance, under the Employment Bill 1988, will be paid for more than eight weeks if a suitable YTS place cannot be found for a young unemployed person.

Mr. Cope

From September 1988 all young people under 18 years of age will be guaranteed a YTS place before their child benefit entitlement or YTS bridging allowance runs out.

We have guaranteed that a suitable YTS place will be found for all young people under 18 including those who are disabled who want one before these payments run out.

Special arrangements will be made for young registered disabled people, who may require special training facilities, to receive the YTS bridging allowance for longer than eight weeks if this proves necessary.

Mr. Strang

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment whether a young person in receipt of bridging allowance under the Employment Bill 1988 will be penalised if she or he refuses an unsuitable YTS place.

Mr. Cope

There will be no change to the present arrangements for placing young people on to suitable YTS schemes.

The new bridging allowance is for young people looking for a YTS place after leaving or losing a job or previous YTS place. If young people in this position refuse suitable YTS places consideration will be given to whether the bridging allowance should be suspended.