§ Mr. Wrayasked the Secretary of State for Scotland what urgent steps he is taking in order substantially to reduce the number of young unemployed in Scotland.
§ Mr. LangWe shall continue with our successful policies of keeping inflation down, stimulating enterprise, sustaining competitiveness in industry and strengthening the private sector, which are the key to creating a stronger economy and reducing unemployment. The guarantee of a YTS place means that no one under 18 need be unemployed. The new job training scheme aimed primarily at 18 to 25-year-olds together with the expansion of places available under the enterprise allowance scheme (to 9,500 places in Scotland in 1987–88) and the assistance to employers through the new workers scheme will all help young people into employment. While unemployment among young people remains too high the number of unemployed claimants under 25 in Scotland has fallen substantially since the beginning of the year.
§ Mr. Wrayasked the Secretary of State for Scotland what urgent steps he is taking substantially to reduce the total number of unemployed people in Scotland.
§ Mr. LangWe shall continue with our successful policies of keeping inflation down, stimulating enterprise, sustaining competitiveness in industry and strengthening the private sector, which are the key to creating a stronger economy and reducing unemployment. The wide range of the Manpower Services Commission's training programmes will provide over 50,000 adult training opportunities in Scotland this year to enable many people to retrain in the skills needed today. In addition some 30,000 people in Scotland are currently gaining useful work experience in the community programme and 9,500 people will have the opportunity this year to join the enterprise allowance scheme for unemployed people setting up their own businesses. Since January 1987 unemployment in Scotland has fallen by almost 48,000.