§ Dr. McDonaldasked the Paymaster General if he will publish in the Official Report the percentage of those long-term unemployed leaving the employment register after being contacted through the restart scheme who have been (a) added to the sickness register or (b) added to the disablement register; and if he will further break down the latter figure, according to sex and age groups (i) under 24 years, (ii) 25 years to 44 years, (iii) 45 years to 59 years and (iv) over 60 years.
§ Mr. Kenneth ClarkeI will reply to the hon. Member as soon as possible.
§ Dr. McDonaldasked the Paymaster General (1) if he will publish in the Official Report for each job club (a) its location, (b) the length of time it has been operational, (c) the number of males and females who have been members, (d) the percentage success rate in each case and (e) the average number of weeks as a member (i) for those unemployed finding employment through the job club system and (ii) for those unemployed leaving the job club scheme not having found employment;
(2) if he will number and identify (a) those groups who have been successful in finding employment through the job club system, and (b) those groups who have left the job club system not having found employment, in terms of standard age groups, sex, and standard duration of prior unemployment groups;
(3) if he will publish in the Official Report in respect of (a) the community programme, (b) the enterprise allowance scheme, (c) the restart scheme, (d) the job club system, and (e), the job start scheme (i) the statistical survey title, (ii) the survey date, (iii) the publication date; and if for each item he will show the distinction between surveys of the pilot, participant or follow-up types.
§ Mr. Knoxasked the Paymaster General how much the Manpower Services Commission spends on employment measures per head of the labour force in (a) each English region, (b) Scotland and (c) Wales.
§ Mr. Kenneth ClarkeThe figures for approximate total estimated expenditure in 1986–87 on all Manpower Services Commission programmes, including employment and training measures, are given in the table below. Manpower Services Commission salaries, capital expenditure, central services and some other costs which cannot be apportioned by region are excluded.
482Wand June 1986 in (a) construction employment and (b) construction and manufacturing employment in (i) Great Britain and (ii) the United Kingdom.
§ Mr. LeeThe information is as follows:
Approximate spend per head of the labour force1 Manpower Services Commission Region £ South East 59 London 66 South West 121 Midlands 116 Yorkshire and Humberside 129 North West 131 Northern 179 Wales 161 Scotland 143 Great Britain 107 1The labour force includes the employed and self-employed, and the unemployed who are available for work.
§ Mr. Aspinwallasked the Paymaster General how many people in Avon have left the employment register through the restart programme since it started.
§ Mr. Kenneth Clarke[pursuant to his reply, 19 January 1987]: We have no means of knowing what proportion of the 2,706 long-term unemployed people who have left the unemployment count in Avon since the beginning of the Restart scheme did so as a direct result of the scheme. Long-term unemployed people leave unemployment for a variety of reasons, including finding work, or training with or without the assistance offered at Restart interviews, Restart training courses and at job clubs.
§ Mr. Sheermanasked the Paymaster General what was the total cost per head for breakfasts provided for business bodies and opinion formers at the Action for Jobs launches.
§ Mr. Kenneth Clarke[pursuant to his reply, 19 January 1987]: Costs vary from place to place, but the average total cost per head of the breakfast is £4.90.
§ Mr. Sheermanasked the Paymaster General (1) out of whose budget the cost of the breakfast launches for Action for Jobs for opinion formers and business bodies comes;
(2) what has been the breakdown of costs for the breakfast launch of Action for Jobs on a region by region basis;
(3) what has been the total cost to the Government of the breakfast presentations to business leaders and opinion formers in relation to the Action for Jobs projects.
§ Mr. Kenneth Clarke[pursuant to his reply, 19 January 1987]: The total cost of the breakfast presentations held in 1986 was £164,141.56. This figure represents 0.0055 per cent. of the total £2.956 billion expenditure by the Department of Employment and Manpower Services Commission this year on employment, enterprise and training measures. I believe that this expenditure is 483W necessary to increase knowledge of the programmes that we now have on offer among those who are intended to benefit from them and who can help others to benefit from them. The table allocates the costs by Department of Employment regions:
Region Cost £ Midlands 25,783.75 South West 36,365.70 Yorkshire and Humberside 3,794.28 North West 57,429.62 South East 37,151.91 Scotland 3,616.30 Action for Jobs expenditure is included in the Department of Employment's budget Vote 3.
§ Mr. Sheermanasked the Paymaster General (1) how many opinion formers and business leaders have been invited to the breakfast launches of the Action for Jobs programme (a) nationally and (b) by region;
(2) which cities and towns have been used for the launch of breakfast presentations by the Action for Jobs project.
Mr. Kenneth Clark[pursuant to his reply, 19 January 1987]: Thirteen breakfast presentations were held in 1986 to increase awareness of the employment, enterprise and training measures offered by my Department and the Manpower Services Commission and particularly to reach local employers whose participation is crucial to the success of many of the programmes. Invitations to the breakfasts were sent to some 13,643 people in all. The location of the breakfasts and the numbers invited are listed below by Department of Employment region:
Region Locations Number invited Midlands Leicester, Birmingham, Droitwich 2,888 South West Bristol, Bournemouth 2,613 Yorks and Humberside Leeds 804 North West Carlisle, Chester, Manchester, Burnley 4,355 South East Maidstone, Brighton 2,481 Scotland Edinburgh 502 13,643 We intend to hold breakfast presentations in the following towns and cities in the early part of 1987.
Region Locations Yorks and Humberside York South East London Eastern Cambridge Scotland Glasgow, Ayr Northern Middlesbrough, Newcastle