§ Ms. Richardsonasked the Secretary of State for Employment (a)what data are available to indicate that women who may wish to work part-time also wish to be eligible for fewer and lesser employment rights and benefits than women working full-time and (b) whether he will list the data.
§ Mr. NichollsI know of no such data, but there is some evidence that current employment protection legislation, including that intended to protect part-time workers, deters employers from creating new jobs.
§ Ms. Richardsonasked the Secretary of State for Employment whether he will list the statistical information which illustrates that the YTS has revolutionised the opportunities girls have to obtain vocational qualifications as stated in the Home Office report: "The Nairobi Forward-Looking Strategies for the Advancement of Women: A Review."
§ Mr. NichollsYTS is a two-year equal opportunity training scheme aiming to provide trainees of both sexes with vocational qualifications. Suitable qualifications are being identified on behalf of the Manpower Services Commission by a YTS certification board. These qualifications are progressively coming on stream in YTS. Until the board has completed its work and a full range of qualifications is available in YTS, it is not possible to provide reliable statistical data on the general impact of qualifications across YTS. The latest information applicable to one-year YTS indicates that the acquisition of qualifications is equally divided between males and females. The fact that YTS provides widespread and equal opportunities means that the scheme has broken new ground for opening up opportunities for girls.