§ Ms RuddockTo ask the Secretary of State for Employment what contingency plans he is making to620W deliver training to the London boroughs of Lewisham, Lambeth, Southwark and Greenwich if SOLOTEC and CENTEC are unable to provide sufficient contracts to meet the needs of the unemployed.
§ Mr. PaiceIn putting forward the proposals for the four boroughs in the South Thames training and enterprise council area, CENTEC and SOLOTEC will have to satisfy me that they can provide adequately for the demand and range of training provision required. If they are unable to do so, the Department will put in place other measures to ensure that adequate training provision is maintained in the area.
§ Ms RuddockTo ask the Secretary of State for Employment if information relating to contracts and performance by individual training providers contracted to South Thames TEC will be made available to SOLOTEC or CENTEC if the same training providers apply to either TEC for a contract from 1 April onwards.
§ Ms RuddockTo ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many contracts for training for work and youth training he expects to be issued by SOLOTEC and CENTEC at 1 April to training providers formerly contracted to South Thames TEC.
§ Mr. PaiceI am unable to estimate the number of contracts likely to be issued. This is a matter for SOLOTEC and CENTEC which are best placed to decide who they should contract with.
§ Ms RuddockTo ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many contracts were issued by South Thames TEC in the financial year 1994–95 to provide training for people with special needs.
§ Mr. PaiceA total of 81 contracts under youth training and training for work were issued by South Thames training and enterprise council in 1994–95. Nine of the YT contracts and three of the TfW contracts are exclusively for people with special training needs. However, all the 81 contracts encourage training providers to recruit trainees with special needs by paying them premium rates to do so.