77. Mr. FayeTo ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he has further plans to assist the unemployed to find employment.
§ Mr. LeeWe shall continue to pursue sound economic policies for steady growth and low inflation which have so far produced more than 1 million new jobs since 1983.
As part of this overall policy, we have developed a wide range of measures to help unemployed people back into employment. These are set out in our "Action for Jobs" booklet. We regularly review these measures to ensure that they provide help appropriate to the needs of unemployed people.
§ 78. Mr. LoydenTo ask the Secretary of State for Employment what steps he is taking to reduce unemployment in the inner cities.
§ Mr. CopeThe Department of Employment and the Manpower Services Commission provide a wide range of national programmes which aim to equip individuals with the skills and motivation to compete for available jobs and to stimulate enterprise and the growth of small businesses. The Government have guaranteed that(a) all unemployed 16 and 17-year-olds will receive an offer of a place on YTS (b) all 18 to 25-year-olds unemployed between six and 12 months will receive an offer of a place on the job training scheme, enterprise allowance scheme or in a job club; and (c) all those unemployed over six months will receive a Restart interview every six months. These guarantees provide direct help to unemployed inner city residents and serve to target resources on those areas of greatest need. The expenditure this year of over £240 million in inner city areas by the Department and the Commission, reflects the extent of this effort.