§ Mr. Goldingasked the Secretary of State for Employment whether the undertaking given to Easter school leavers in 1980 was met in the West Midlands and London; and whether he will make a statement.
§ Mr. Peter MorrisonThe estimated number of school leavers in the 1980–81 undertaking group without an offer by Easter 1981 was 1,900 in London and 1,350 in the MSC Midlands region. The MSC will do its best to offer a place on the programme to these young people as soon as possible.
In 1980–81 the MSC provided opportunities for 234,000 school leavers, leaving some 5,300 still to be offered a place by Easter 1981. This represents a major achievement on the part of the MSC.
§ Mr. Home Robertsonasked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will give an estimate of the cost per head of public funds of school leavers who (a) go into further education, (b) take places in the youth opportunities programme and (c) become unemployed.
§ Mr. Peter MorrisonComparable information in reply to parts(a), (b) and (c) is not available. What can be stated is that
(a) The cost to the education budget of students in non-advanced further education in England and wales in maintained further education establishments other than Polytechnics in 1979–80, when revalued to November 1980 price levels, was some £1,850 per head.(b) The average gross cost of maintaining a young person on the youth opportunities programme is £38 per week. After taking into account the benefits that participants would otherwise have claimed and other tax and national insurance effects, the net weekly cost is approximately two-thirds of this figure.(c) The scale rate of supplementary benefit for a 16 or 17-year-old non-householder, together with housing addition, is £15.25 a week. The total cost to public funds would be dependent on the duration of registered unemployment and for school leavers will also be affected by recent changes in the entitlement of school leavers for supplementary benefit.