§ Mr. Maddenasked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will list those training courses and schemes, training grants and conditions of eligibility for training, where widows are at a disadvantage as compared with other women, including married women; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. GoldingI am informed by the Manpower Services Commission that the eligibility conditions for acceptance for training under the training opportunities scheme are the same for widows as for women in general. Widows are entitled to receive the basic training allowance which is payable to all TOPS trainees plus, if appropriate, children's allowance. However, if a widow is in receipt of a national insurance benefit, this may be affected because of the principle that a double payment of a maintenance allowance may not be made from public funds. The national insurance benefit of a widow without dependants is normally replaced by the more favourable rate of training allowance. A widow who is in receipt of a widowed mother's allowance under the national insurance scheme with increases for children may, if this is more advantageous to her, choose to continue to draw her full widowed mother's allowance, in which case an abated training allowance of £7.25 a week is payable.
NUMBERS UNEMPLOYED January February March April May June 1977 1977 1977 1977 1977 1977 South East … … … 342,764 335,718 325,144 326,498 313,977 332,040 East Anglia … … … 36,916 37,352 36,960 36,982 35,093 37,207 South West … … … 113,119 111,192 109,103 107,473 101,281 106,416 West Midlands … … … 129,130 125,973 122,985 125,944 121,707 124,970 East Midlands … … … 76,270 75,646 75,037 75,647 72,072 80,309 Yorkshire and Humberside … 115,126 113,522 109,483 110,898 107,170 117,682 North West … … … 202,963 199,025 192,251 196,417 191,876 210,419 North … … … 107,140 105,867 102,629 105,137 100,822 115,518 Strathclyde … … … 106,216 103,724 102,138 100,358 96,496 109,873
July August September October November* 1977 1977 1977 1977 1977 South East … … … 371,293 375,587 371,545 347,712 339,782 East Anglia … … … 39,929 40,369 39,695 37,902 37,219 South West … … … 115,322 115,822 116,204 115,730 115,987 West Midlands … … … 154,894 155,962 152,454 137,753 131,696 East Midlands … … … 88,296 89,512 87,140 80,351 79,235 Yorkshire and Humberside … 134,932 135,566 134,110 125,885 122,742 North West … … … 235,678 236,039 232,904 217,706 215,940 North … … … 126,863 127,320 124,130 118,247 119,023 Strathclyde … … … 114,667 116,011 112,784 108,874 109,456 * Provisional.