§ Mr. Parkasked the Secretary of State for Employment what facilities are available in the Coventry area for training and 232W retraining; and what numbers can be accommodated.
§ Mr. Harold WalkerI am informed by the Manpower Services Commission that there are over 570 training places available under the Training Opportunities Scheme (TOPS) in the Coventry travel-to-work area of which 265 are in Coventry Skillcentre, the rest being in colleges of further education and employers' establishments. The facilities available are flexible as TOPS trainees can be placed in any college vocational course to meet individual training requirements. On 16th April 1975, 442 people were receiving training under TOPS.
§ Mr. Parkasked the Secretary of State for Employment what is the number of persons wholly unemployed in the Coventry area; and what was the number of such persons (a) six months ago and (b) 12 months ago.
§ Mr. John FraserAt March 1975, 8,811 people were unemployed in the Coventry travel-to-work area compared with 8,265 at September 1974 and 6,049 at March 1974.
§ Mr. Parkasked the Secretary of State for Employment what is the number of persons presently working short time in the Coventry area; and what was the number of such persons (a) six months ago and (b) 12 months ago.
§ Mr. John FraserMy Department knows of 9,600 persons who are currently on short-time in the Coventry travel-to-work area. Comparable figures for the earlier dates are not available.