§ Mr. Wm. Rossasked the Secretary of State for Employment whether, in view of the increase in petrol prices, he will now lower the threshold for reimbursement of travelling expenses in connection with the youth opportunities programme.
§ Mr. Peter MorrisonNo. The £4 threshold has remained since YOP began in April 1978 and consequently the real value of the assistance available for those with substantial travel expenses has increased.
§ Mr. Fosterasked the Secretary of State for Employment (1) if he has any plans to measure the progress of young people through the youth opportunities programme and to have this recorded in profiles of attainment;
(2) if he has any plans to compile profiles of competencies for young people within the early weeks of their initial placement within the youth opportunities programme as a firm base for subsequent vocational training suited to their individual requirements.
§ Mr. Peter MorrisonThe youth opportunities programme sponsors record the progress of young people engaged in the programme. In order to provide a better basis for vocational preparation and training, the Manpower Services Commission is at present trying to develop a profile assessment, which would be started in the early weeks of the young person's placement with the youth opportunities programme and could be used to plan subsequent training relevant to the individual's needs.
§ Mr. Fosterasked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will publish his latest estimate of the percentage of entrants to the youth opportunities programme moving from one module of the programme to another.
§ Mr. Peter MorrisonInformation in the exact form requested is not available. However, one in five young people who enter the youth opportunities programme have already taken part in the programme at a previous date. In some cases the second or subsequent opportunity may be in the same element as an earlier opportunity.
§ Mr. Fosterasked the Secretary of State for Employment if he is satisfied that the administrative arrangements within the youth opportunities programme are adequate to ensure that young people can progress from module to module of the programme accumulating learning and experience.
§ Mr. Peter MorrisonI will reply to the hon. Member as soon as possible.
§ Mrs. Renée Shortasked the Secretary of State for Employment if he is satisfied with the present operation of the youth opportunities programme; and what plans he has to increase the monitoring of the schemes.
§ Mr. Peter Morrison[pursuant to his reply, 24 March 1981; Vol. 1, c. 225–6]: The Government have every confidence in the operation of the youth opportunities programme.
In 1979–80 some 216,400 young people entered the programme. For 1980–81 this figure is expected to be in excess of 320,000 and future plans for 1981–82 make provision for some 440,000–450,000 young people to take up opportunities.
353WI am aware that improvement can always be made in the operation of a programme of this size and the MSC is working towards improving the quality of opportunities. The Commission is now overhauling its monitoring procedures with that end in view.
§ Mrs. Renée Shortasked the Secretary of State for Employment how many school-leavers are currently being supported by the youth opportunities programme; how this compares with the figures for each of the past three years; and what percentage of school-leavers this represents in each case.
§ Mr. Peter Morrison[pursuant to his reply, 24 March 1981, Vol. 1; c. 225–6]: Information is not available in the form requested. However, the following table shows how the youth opportunities programme has increasingly helped current school-leavers since its inception in April 1978.
1 2 Approximate No. of young people leaving school for employment Approximate No. of current school-leavers entering YOP between April-January each year Current school leaver entrants (2) expressed as percentages of total (1) Per cent. 1978–79 690,800 70,000 10 1979–80 713,000 118,000 16.5 1980–81 714,000 165,000 23
§ Mrs. Renée Shortasked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will list separately the aggregate totals and total increase or reduction in the number of placings under the youth opportunities programme and the special temporary employment premium programme in (a) Wolverhampton and (b) the West Midlands for the latest available date; and if he will give similar figures at May 1979 and January 1980.
§ Mr. Peter Morrison[pursuant to his reply, 24 March 1981, Vol. 1, c. 225–6]: Information is not available in the form requested. However, the following tables list the total number of young people entering the youth opportunities programme and the number of adults entering the special temporary employment programme between April 1980 and January 1981 as compared with the same period in the previous year for the local authority district of Wolverhampton and the West Midlands metropolitan county. The tables also include the numbers of young people entering YOP and adults entering STEP for the above areas, in the financial year 1978–79.
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YOP ENTRANTS 1 April 1978–31 March 1979 1 April 1979–31 January 1980 1 April 1980–31 January 1981 Wolverhampton (LAD) 1,350 1,600 2,300 West Midlands (Met. County) 10,400 12,000 19,600
STEP ENTRANTS 1 April 1978–31 March 1979 1 April 1979– 31 January 1980 1 April 1980–31 January 1981 Wolverhampton (LAD) 30 70 290 West Midlands (Met. County) 610 760 520
§ Mr. Fosterasked the Secretary of State for Employment whether he will arrange for local education authorities to be reimbursed monthly in arrears rather than quarterly in arrears by the Manpower Services Commission in respect of expenditure on the youth opportunities programme.
§ Mr. Peter Morrison[pursuant to his reply, 24 March 1981]: Claims for reinbursement of young persons allowances to sponsors, both in the public and private sectors, of work experience on employers' premises schemes, may be made at intervals of four weeks. WEEP schemes constitute nearly 70 per cent. of the youth opportunities programme.
Grants to local authority sponsors of project-based work experience, community service and training workshops are paid to local authority sponsors quarterly in arrears, which is the standard practice laid down under the rules of Government accounting. The administration of grants to local authorities is governed by a Treasury instruction which sets out for all Government Departments the rules under which grants are made.
§ Mr. Fosterasked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will give his latest estimate of the placement rates of young people into full-time employment from the youth opportunities programme for the United Kingdom as a whole and for each region separately.
§ Mr. Peter Morrison[pursuant to his reply, 24 March 1981]: A geographically representative survey of young people who entered the youth opportunities programme in September-October 1979 and who had been through the work experience schemes, was conducted in November 1980. It revealed the following placement rates into full-time employment for Great Britain as a whole, and for each region separately:
Percentage of Young People in full-time employment immediately after leaving YOP Percentage of Young People in full-time employment 6 months after leaving YOP (at time of survey) Scotland 54 60 Yorks/Humberside 54 57 South West 53 58 London 54 56 Northern 48 51 North West 57 59 Midlands 64 68 Wales 60 60 South East 56 59 Totals 56 59
§ Mr. Fosterasked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will give his latest estimate of the extent of substitution taking place in the work experience on employers' premises module of the youth opportunities programme.
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§ Mr. Peter Morrison[pursuant to his reply, 24 March 1981]: On the basis of a survey of special programmes sponors it is estimated that about 20 per cent. of the places in the youth opportunities programme as a whole are affected by substitution. Work experience on employers' premises schemes comprise about two-thirds of the programme and substitution for this element is estimated at up to about 30 per cent.
I would also refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave to the hon. Member for Islington, Central (Mr. Grant) on 24 March, when I gave him an assurance that the Manpower Services Commission immediately withdraws any YOP scheme if and when substitution occurs.
§ Mr. Wm. Rossasked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will now reimburse travelling expenses in excess of £1 per week to those engaged in the youth opportunities programme; and what would be the annual cost of this measure.
§ Mr. Peter Morrison[pursuant to his reply, 24 March 1981]: No. All travel expenses in excess of £4 per week may be refunded to young people on the youth opportunities programme.
I understand the cost of reducing the level to £1 per week could be some £8 million in 1981–82. A substantial number of additional MSC staff would also be required.
§ Mr. Fosterasked the Secretary of State for Employment how may school leavers had not had an offer of a place in the youth opportunities programme by Easter 1980; and how many he estimates will not have had an offer by Easter 1981.
§ Mr. Peter Morrison[pursuant to his reply, 24 March 1981]: Under 500 1979 school leavers were without an offer of a suitable opportunity on the youth opportunities programme by Easter 1980. These were concentrated in isolated pockets where employment opportunities were particularly poor. It is still too early to calculate the number of school leavers who will not have had an offer by Easter 1981. However, as last year, there is likely to be a short-fall in some areas due to local factors, such as the difficulty of organising YOP in isolated rural communities. The MSC is confident that the number remaining without an offer will again represent only a small proportion of the number of school leavers covered by the Easter undertaking.