§ 16. Mr. Tebbitasked the Secretary of State for Employment if he remains satisfied with progress towards the reduction of unemployment from the level inherited from the previous Government.
§ Mr. BoothNo, nor with the inflationary pressures which we also inherited. But with the support of most of the country's work force we are making steady progress in our battle against inflation as the essential prelude to a reduction in the level of unemployment.
§ 20. Mr. Watkinsonasked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will make a statement on the effect of his measures announced on 2nd August.
§ Mr. BoothThe youth employment subsidy, the work experience programme and the additional training places which I announced on 3rd August have been welcomed as likely to provide valuable assistance to young job seekers. By 1st October 301 places had already been approved under the work experience programme since its inception on 21st September but it is too early to provide figures of take-up under the other schemes. I also intend, following consultation with the TUC and CBI, to introduce the job release scheme, to which I also referred on 3rd August, for six months from 3rd January 1977. The scheme, which was formally announced on 24th September, will enable older workers in assisted areas who are within a year of statutory pensionable age to leave their jobs and receive a tax free allowance of £23 per week until they reach statutory pensionable age, provided that the employer 409W undertakes in consequence to recruit an unemployed worker from the unemployed register. The allowance will also be available on the same basis to those on the unemployment register who wish to leave the labour market.