§ Mr. Fryasked the Secretary of State for Employment how many people are currently undergoing retraining under the auspices of his Department in the East Midlands Region; and how these figures compare with the corresponding date in 1974.
§ Mr. John FraserI am informed by the Manpower Services Commission that 559W on 31st December 1975, 1,885 people were receiving training under the Training Opportunities Scheme (TOPS) in the East Midlands Region.
Since the setting up of the Training Services Agency and its regional organisation, the geographical areas for which statistics are kept have changed. Figures relating to the East Midlands area are not available for December 1973. In the Training Services Agency's Midlands Region 4,944 people were receiving training under TOPS on 31st December 1975 compared with 2,702 on 31st December 1973 and 3,533 on 31st December 1974.