§ Mr. Tony LloydTo ask the Secretary of State for Employment what the level of the 1983 YTS allowance would have been had it risen annually in line with(a) the retail price index, (b) average earnings and (c) the average yearly rate of inflation.
§ Mr. Cope[holding answer 17 April 1989]: The YTS allowance was £25 per week in April 1983. If the allowance had been increased in line with changes in the retail price index it would have been £33.17 in February 1989. 1f adjusted in line with increases in the average earnings index, the allowance would have been £38.69 in January 1989. Adjusting the allowance for the rate of inflation is equivalent to the adjustment made for changes in the retail prices index. Many trainees receive more than the minimum level of the trainee allowance.