HC Deb 10 November 1988 vol 140 c299W
Mr. McLeish

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many 16 and 17-year-olds were eligible but had not been placed on YTS at the date when the most recent information was available.

Mr. Lang

[holding answer 7 November 1988]: All 16 and 17-year-olds are eligible to apply for YTS but many do not do so. Excluding this summer's school leavers, on 2 November there were 6,592 young people who had applied for a YTS place and were receiving bridging allowance, as against some 12,000 unfilled YTS places.

Mr. McLeish

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will provide an estimate of the total number of 16 and 17-year-olds who will not have received an offer of a YTS place on the termination of the bridging allowance on 5 November in Scotland.

Mr. Lang

[holding answer 7 November 1988]: It is the responsibility primarily of the local authority careers service to ensure that young people who have applied for a YTS place, and made themselves available to discuss possible places, are put in contact with managing agents to ensure they are offered a start on a YTS scheme before the end of the guarantee period. I am satisfied that the Training Agency has made available more than sufficient places to meet the potential uptake and I have therefore made no national estimate of a shortfall in offers.