HC Deb 03 July 1989 vol 156 cc72-4W
Mr. Tony Lloyd

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many referrals there have been on a monthly basis from the employment service to employment training agents(a) nationally, and (b) by training area since September 1988.

Mr. Cope

Information on the level of employment service (ES) referrals to training agents on a national basis is given in table 1. Information on levels of referrals on a Training Agency area office basis is not available.

Referrals to employment training training agents
Month Total referrals
6 September 1988 96,525
October 1988 82,866
November 1988 80,407
December 19881 68,306
January 1989 91,606
February 1989 89,863
March 19891 95,765
April 1989 82,323
May 1989 74,284
1 Five week month.

Mr. Tony Lloyd

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many training managers, by training agency area, were receiving either (i) the standard, (ii) special, (iii) high level, (iv) extended introduction or further assessment supplementary grants for trainees on a monthly basis since September 1988.

Mr. Nicholls

This information is not available without disproportionate cost. Supplementary grants are a matter of negotiation between the Training Agency area office and the individual training manager.

Mr. Tony Lloyd

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will make a statement as to the progress of trainees from their initial referral to the ET training agent and a placement with a training manager.

Mr. Nicholls

The latest evidence we have on the referral of trainees into employment training shows that 51 per cent. of initial referrals attend the training agent and 79 per cent. of these are placed with a training manager.

Mr. Tony Lloyd

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will place in the Library a list of local authorities that have refused to co-operate with employment training.

Mr. Nicholls

I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave to the hon. Member for Barnsley, West and Penistone (Mr. McKay) on 20 June 1989 at column137.

Mr. Tony Lloyd

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what has been the total budget spent on advertising employment training; and if he will provide a breakdown as to the nature of this spending.

Mr. Nicholls

The total spent on advertising employment training in the last financial year, 1988–89 was £9,654,954 and this financial year 1989–90 for the current campaign £4,375,750. This is broken down as follows:

£
Television 11,366,822
Press 1,423,132
Posters 1,240,750

Mr. Tony Lloyd

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment when his Department will have completed the examination of ET training managers for approved status; and how many staff within the Training Agency are working on this exercise.

Mr. Nicholls

It is planned to complete the examination of employment training managers by 5 September 1990. The number of Training Agency staff dedicated to this purpose varies from area office to area office depending on local demand.

Mr. McLeish

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will give(a) the number of employment training places available in 1989–90, (b) the number of people in ET on the latest date for which information is available and (c) an estimate of the planned ET places in 1990–91 and 1991–92.

Mr. Nicholls

In May 1989 there were 255,000 available places on employment training. On 23 June, the latest date for which information is available, there were 192,000 people on the programme. Operational plans for 1990–91 and 1991–92 are not yet available.