§ Mr. Steenasked the Secretary of State for Employment what are the criteria used by his Department for giving grants to co-operatives offering employment opportunities to the unemployed.
§ Mr. Golding, pursuant to his reply [Official Report, 11th July 1977; Vol. 935, c. 54], gave the following information:
All projects approved for funding under the job creation programme must satisfy the criteria listed in the reply to my hon. Friend the Member for Kingston upon Hull, Central (Mr. McNamara) on 25th April 1977. The programme has since been extended and projects must now finish by 31st December 1978. Enterprise workshops, including co-operatives, are not specifically required to carry out work of community value provided they are likely to become self-financing by the end of JCP funding and thereby provide permanent jobs.
§ Mr. Steenasked the Secretary of State for Employment (1) what are the circumstances in which a grant of £22,000 was made to three unemployed men to form a workers' co-operative now called Adepco; 241W (2) if he will make a statement about the work of the three-man co-operative known as Adepco, and the level of grant he has approved for its continued working.
§ Mr. Golding,pursuant to his reply [Official Report, 11th July 1977; Vol. 935, c. 54], gave the following information:
I am informed by the Manpower Services Commission that a grant of £21,999 under the Job Creation Programme was approved for the project known as Adepco to create jobs for 47 weeks for four adults and four young people in Swindon on the repair of wooden pallets. It is expected that the project will become self-financing by the end of JCP funding and thereby provide permanent jobs.