Mr. ChristopherPrice asked the Secretary of State for Employment what new opportunities for youth employment were initiated in 1976 in the London borough of Lewisham; and what steps will be taken during 1977 to increase the number of jobs and training places available in the borough.
§ Mr. GoldingI am informed by the Manpower Services Commission (MSC) that the special employment and training measures which it administers have created the following opportunities for young people in the borough of Lewisham:
(a) since January 1976, four projects involving 49 places have been approved under the Job Creation Programme;
(b) since September 1976, 10 schemes involving 21 places have been approved under the Work Experience Programme;
(c) since January 1976 the Training Services Agency (TSA) has started two new short industrial courses in its Lewisham district bringing the total to 12 courses providing 42 training places. These courses run on a continuous 12-week cycle: Young people from Lewisham are recruited also for other TSA courses in surrounding areas of London.
21W(d) a number of young people received off-the-job craft training sponsored by industrial training boards under training award schemes, including 13 in 1976–77 sponsored by the Engineering Industry Training Boards.
(e) employers in Lewisham, as elsewhere in the country, may be eligible for the incentive grants for recruitment of extra trainees which are provided by the industrial training boards and other organisations from funds allocated by the MSC.
The following opportunities for young people have been created in Lewisham by the special measures for which my Department is responsible:
(f) between October 1975 and October 1976, 80 young people obtained jobs with the help of the recruitment subsidy for schools leavers.
(g) since October 1976, 24 young people have obtained jobs with the help of the youth employment subsidy.
(h) an additional careers officer and an extra employment assistant have been appointed to the Lewisham careers office under the Government scheme for strenthening the careers service in areas of severe unemployment.
(i) Lewisham is also the site of a community industrial unit, whose expansion from 50 to 85 places I announced on 13th July last year. I am happy to say that Lewisham is one of the community industry areas where my right hon. Friend has approved expansion, as I informed my hon. Friend the Member for Coventry, North-east (Mr. Park) today.
On 3rd March my right hon. Friend announced the extension and expansion of a number of these schemes and young people in Lewisham and throughout the country will benefit from these measures during the remainder of the year. The future of all the measures for young people has been reviewed by a working party set up by the MSC. The working party has recently reported, and its proposals for a new programme of opportunities for young people are now being considered.
§ Mr. Christopher Priceasked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will list the levels of unemployment in the London borough of Lewisham in January, 22W April, July and October of 1975, 1976, and in respect of 1977 for January and April only, expressed as a percentage of the total work force.
§ Mr. GoldingThe following table gives the information available for the employment office areas of Lewisham and Deptford, which most closely represent the London borough of Lewisham. Rates of unemployment can be calculated only for the whole of Greater London and not separately for Lewisham and Deptford.
NUMBER REGISTERED AS UNEMPLOYED IN THE EMPLOYMENT OFFICE AREAS OF LEWISHAM AND DEPTFORD 1975 1976 1977 January — 5,889 7,438 April 4,145 6,452 7,197 July 4,687 6,957 October 5,610 7,000 Because of industrial action by some staff in the Department of Employment Group, information for January 1975 is not available.