§ Rev. Martin SmythTo ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (1) if she will make a statement on the costs of implementing her Department's proposals to deal with long-term unemployment assuming a scheme to cover 40,000 persons; [5141]
(2) if she will list the measures available for unemployed people to seek (a) training and (b) retraining. [5139]
§ Mr. WorthingtonResponsibility for the subject in question has been delegated to the Training and Employment Agency under its Chief Executive, Mr. Ian Walters. I have asked him to arrange for a reply to he given.
Letter from Ian Walters to Rev. Martin Smyth, dated 27 June 1997:
PARLIANLESTALLY QUESTION No. 5141The Secretary of State for Northern Ireland has asked me as Chief Executive of the Training and Employment Agency to reply to your question regarding the costs of implementing proposals to deal with long-term unemployment.In the current financial year the Agency will be spending over £37 million to assist people unemployed for at least a year, back to work through the Action for Community Employment programme, the pilot Community Work Programme and Enterprise Ulster. These three measures provide over 6,700 places for the long-term unemployed.