§ Mr. Freudasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what proposals his Department has for monitoring the factors affecting the staying-on rate at 16 years and any influence that the youth training service has upon those rates; and whether he will make a statement.
§ Mr. Chris PattenMy Department already monitors the staying on rate at age 16 and assesses the factors which are likely to influence it. The youth training scheme is one such factor. In addition, the Department is funding, jointly with the Manpower Services Commission and the Department of Employment, the England and Wales youth cohort study. This will provide a variety of information on the different routes taken by 16 to 19-yearolds through education, training and the labour market and will assist the assessment of the factors affecting the staying-on rate.