§ Mr. Spenceasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will institute a national advertising campaign to encourage the full-time employment of school leavers over the age of 15 and under the age of 16 years; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. Jim LesterI have been asked to reply.
No; the group of young people who leave school before their sixteenth birthday is not one for priority treatment. However, the Government are concerned to create a climate in which there will be more secure and wealth-creating jobs for all young people, including school leavers, and this can better be done by removing the barriers to enterprise and providing employers with incentives to succeed than by an advertising campaign.