HC Deb 30 June 1986 vol 100 cc376-7W
Mr. Ron Davies

asked the Paymaster General, pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Caerphilly of 23 June, Official Report, column 14, if he will say why he did not provide a substantive reply to the first part of the hon. Member's question on the same basis as the answer given to the hon. Member for Kingston upon Hull, East (Mr. Prescott) the same day, Official Report, column 15; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Trippier

I shall write to the hon. Member.

Mr. Ron Davies

asked the Paymaster General what arrangements apply to disabled young people refusing an offer of a place on YTS with regard to their existing benefit payments or future claims for benefit.

Mr. Lang

Under the Social Security Act 1975, YTS has been designated as approved training, and any young person who unreasonably refuses such training may lose unemployment benefit for up to six weeks; supplementary benefit may also be reduced for this reason.

Entitlement to benefit is decided by independent adjudicating authorities set up under the Social Security Act. They take into account the individual circumstances of each case, including a person's physical or mental ability to undertake the training offered, in deciding whether a refusal is unreasonable.

Mr. Ron Davies

asked the Paymaster General how many disabled young people presently take part in YTS in Britain.

Mr. Kenneth Clarke

I regret this information is not available at the moment. The Manpower Services Commission's computerised management information system, from which YTS statistics are obtained, is currently being re-programmed and improved to meet the needs of two-year YTS. As a result of this work information about the participation of young disabled people on YTS will not be available until the end of this Summer.

I shall write to the hon. Member with this information as soon as it becomes available.

Mr. Ron Davies

asked the Paymaster General what figures he has to show the number of young people applying to take part in YTS each year.

Mr. Kenneth Clarke

I regret that I am unable to answer the question, as the Manpower Services Commission does not record numbers of young people applying for YTS.

Mr. Ron Davies

asked the Paymaster General what figures he has to show the number of disabled young people refusing the offer of a place in YTS in each of the last three years.

Mr. Kenneth Clarke

I regret that this information is not available.

Mr. Ron Davies

asked the Paymaster General (1) if he has evidence to indicate whether the level of payments under YTS are a disincentive to disabled young people in receipt of social security benefits for their disablement;

(2) if he has any plans to vary the fixed rate of training allowance paid to YTS trainees to meet individual cases of need.

Mr. Lang

There is no evidence of any significant disincentive effect from the present system of allowances and we have no plans at present for any change. A balance has to be struck between a level of allowance sufficient to attract young people to YTS and the need to use as much as possible of the money available for the actual provision of training. I am satisfied that, in general, trainees' needs are being met adequately through the existing system of allowances, together with the provision for payments of supplementary benefit where this is appropriate.

Mr. Ron Davies

asked the Paymaster General (1) why figures showing numbers of young people taking part in YTS are not published in the latest issue of Employment Gazette;

(2) if he will ensure that figures showing numbers of young people taking part in YTS are published for the latest available date in every issue of Employment Gazette.

Mr. Kenneth Clarke

I regret that the necessary information was not available in the time for the regular article containing YTS statistics to appear in the June edition of theEmployment Gazette. However, figures showing the number of young people in training on YTS at the end of May will appear in the next edition of the Employment Gazette, to be published on 3 July, and the latest available figures will be published in future editions.