Mr. Cambell-Savoursasked the Secretary of State for Employment (1) how many places under the youth opportunities programme us currently being supported in each of those travel-to-work areas designated as development and special development areas;
(2) what is the total number of places currently being supported under the youth opportunities programme in travel-to-work areas designated as development areas and special development areas;
88W(3) what is the total number of places allocated under the youth opportunities programme in the travel-to-work areas designated as development areas and special development areas for the years 1979–80 and 1980–81.
§ Mr. Jim Lester[pursuant to his reply, 28 November 1980]: I am informed by the Manpower Services Commission that it is not possible to answer these three questions except at disproportionate cost.
The youth opportunities programme (YOP) is a national programme. It seeks to provide work experience and work preparation for unemployed young people and caters for the needs of individuals rather than of particular areas.
The total opportunities in the YOP that the MSC plans to provide in those of its local areas that lie partly or wholly in development and special development areas is 175,000 in the current year. That is almost 60 per cent. of all the planned provision.
Statistical and planning information for YOP is based on special programme areas which are made up of a number of local authority districts (LADs). In general LADs are not coterminous with travel-to-work areas and therefore the information requested could be extracted in area offices only by manual analysis.
§ Mr. Campbell-Savoursasked the Secretary of State for Employment what is the total number of places currently being supported under the short-term employment programme in the travel-to-work areas designated as development and special development areas.
§ Mr. Jim Lester[pursuant to his reply, 28 November 1980]: I assume that the hon. Member is referring to the temporary short-time working compensation (TSTWC) scheme in his question. I regret that temporary short-time working compensation scheme statistics are not easily available below standard regional level and the cost of extracting all the information requested would be prohibitive.