HC Deb 09 June 1992 vol 209 cc140-1W
22. Mr. Dickens

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what help is offered to the unemployed in inner-city areas.

Mr. Michael Forsyth

The Department, through the Employment Service and the network of training and enterprise councils, currently offers unemployed people a wider range of help than ever before in finding jobs or gaining the skills they need to compete for jobs. Many of our programmes are focused on long-term unemployed people and are, therefore, of particular benefit to inner city areas. We have sought to ensure that inner city residents and people from the ethnic minorities have access to these programmes by employing many specialists and outreach staff and by publishing literature in a number of minority languages. Training opportunities and jobs are one of the central features of the city challenge programme.