§ Mr. Tierneyasked the Secretary of State for Employment what is the total number of school leavers in the Birmingham employment areas who left school last summer and who remain registered as unemployed.
§ Mr. John FraserI regret the precise information is not available since statistics of unemployed school leavers do not define the dates when they left school. On 12th February 1976 the total number of unemployed school leavers in the Birmingham employment areas was 748–385 boys and 363 girls.
§ Mr. Tierneyasked the Secretary of State for Employment what steps he is taking to increase industrial retraining 122W facilities in the West Midlands and in the Birmingham areas.
§ Mr. Harold WalkerThe Manpower Services Commission informs me that the Training Services Agency has recently opened two new skillcentres at Castle Bromwich and Wolverhampton, which will serve the West Midlands and Birmingham areas. When fully operational these centres will substantially increase the training facilities available under the training opportunities scheme. Plans are in hand for a further skillcentre to be established eventually in the Broms-grove-Redditch area. In addition to the provision of skillcentre facilities, full use is being made of training capacity in colleges of further education and employers' establishments in the area.
§ Mr. Tierneyasked the Secretary of State for Employment how many jobs have been created by the Government's job creation schemes in the Birmingham area to the latest available date.
§ Mr. Harold WalkerI am informed by the Manpower Services Commission that five projects have so far been approved in the Birmingham area, creating 103 jobs; and that nine further applications are receiving urgent attention.