§ Mr. Richard Wainwrightasked the Secretary of State for Employment what is the current estimate of the number of youth training places required in order to achieve the aims established in "A New Training Initiative—A Programme for Action" in the regions of (a) Yorkshire and Humberside, (b) West Yorkshire county council, (c) Kirklees metropolitan borough council, (d) Greater Manchester county council and (e) Oldham metropolitan borough council; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. Peter MorrisonThe number of youth training places needed to achieve the aims of the "New Training 361W Initiative—A Programme for Action" in the regions mentioned by the hon. Member will depend on the local levels of youth unemployment, for which no forecasts have been made. The size of the scheme as announced will be sufficient to provide a guaranteed offer of a place to every unemployed minimum age school leaver.
§ Mr. Fosterasked the Secretary of State for Employment what will be the average cost per person per year, excluding the cost of allowances, of providing training for 16-year-olds who enter the proposed youth training scheme.
§ Mr. AlisonI estimate the average cost per person per year of providing training for 16-year-olds in the youth training scheme is likely to be around £2, 000 in 1983–84, excluding the cost of allowances.
§ Mr. Fosterasked the Secretary of State for Employment whether under the proposed youth training scheme the parents of young people who leave their placements will be eligible to claim child benefit.
§ Mr. AlisonChild benefit will be paid to parents of young people who are not eligible in their own right for benefits and who are neither in work nor on the scheme. This will include payments in respect of young people who leave their placements on the scheme.
§ Mr. Fosterasked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will give the calculations underlying the estimated cost of £1 billion in 1982–83 and 1983–84 of 300,000 12-month places on the proposed youth training scheme.
§ Mr. AlisonThe youth training scheme will start in 1983–84 and the White Paper "A New Training Initiative: A Programme for Action", Cmnd. 8455, says that to provide some 300, 000 places in 1983–84 and 1984–85, the scheme will cost around £1 billion in a full year. At a total per capita cost, at 1983–84 prices, in the region of £53 a week for those receiving an allowance of £750 per annum and around £62 per week for those receiving an allowance of £1,250 per annum, the cost of the programme is estimated to be around £874 million in 1983–84. In the first year of the scheme's full operation, 1984–85, the cost will be about £1 billion.