§ Mr. Kilroy-Silkasked the Secretary of State for Employment what is his estimate of the number of unemployed school leavers in the (a) North-West, (b) Merseyside, (c) Kirkby and (d) Ormskirk travel-to-work areas who will not be found a place on a youth opportunities programme scheme before Christmas.
§ Mr. AlisonIt is too early to say how many unemployed school leavers will be left without the offer of a place on the youth opportunities programme by Christmas 1981. On 12 November 1981 there were some 6,400 school leavers in the North-West region still to be offered a place. That figure includes 930 in Merseyside county, except for the Liverpool careers office, which is not completing official returns because of industrial action, 26 in West Lancashire local authority district, which includes Ormskirk, and 333 in Knowsley local authority district, which includes Kirkby.
§ Mrs. Renée Shortasked the Secretary of State for Employment (1) how many private employers taking applicants under the youth opportunities programme had not received monitoring visits at the latest available date; and whether any steps are being taken to increase the number of staff for this purpose;
(2) how many places there were under the youth opportunties scheme with private employers for each year since the programme started to the latest available date.
§ Mr. AlisonI shall reply to the hon. Member as soon as possible.