§ Mr. Barry Jonesasked the Secretary of State for Wales how many teenagers in Wales are employed on special programmes in response to the non-availability of work; how many (i) 17-year-old people and (ii) 18-year-old people are currently engaged in the youth training scheme in Wales; how many (i) 17-year-old people and (ii) 18-year-old people in Wales are unemployed; how many 16-year-old school leavers are engaged in the youth training scheme; how many youth training scheme places are unfilled in Wales, expressed in absolute terms and as a percentage of the total available; and how many youth training scheme places are based in the nationalised industries in Wales.
§ Mr. Nicholas EdwardsI am informed by the Manpower Services Commission that the statistics available do not differentiate between age groups. However, on 10 November 1983 there were 840 young people participating in the community industry scheme and 9,091 people in the community programme, for which 18 to 24-year-olds are eligible if they have been unemployed for more than six months. The MSC's records also show that by 31 December 1983 at least 14,559 minimum-age school leavers had started on the youth training scheme and that at the same date 7,523 approved places—31 per cent.—in Wales were still available for eligible young people. Comprehensive information on youth training scheme places in the nationalised industries is not available, but best estimates indicate that at 31 December 1983 at least 640 places had been approved in Wales. As to unemployment, the latest available figures relate to October 1983 when there were 9,871 17-year-old and 12,589 18-year-old claimants in Wales.