§ Mr. Beithasked the Secretary of State for Employment how places have been provided or planned in the youth opportunities programme in Northumberland; and how many staff are employed to run the programme as it affects Northumberland.
§ Mr. Peter MorrisonInformation is not available in the exact form requested. However the Manpower Services Commission's special programmes area office in Newcastle, which covers Northumberland, North Tyneside and Newcastle, has made provision for 10,000 young people to enter the youth opportunities programme in 1981–82.
The youth opportunities programme, though administered by the special programmes division of the commission, depends on the local authority careers service and the commission's employment services division to act as placing agencies. On 1 March 1981 the Newcastle area office had a staff of 29. The staff deal with both the youth opportunities programme and the community enterprise programme for its area.