§ 19. Mr. LofthouseTo ask the Secretary of State for Employment what measures he intends to introduce to enable the long-term unemployed to receive training.
§ Mr. HowardEmployment training currently provides long-term unemployed people with a full range of196W opportunities to help them acquire the skills and experience they need to compete for jobs. Under training and enterprise councils training provision will become even more responsive to local needs.
§ 21. Mr. BoyesTo ask the Secretary of State for Employment what measure he intends to introduce to enable the long-term unemployed to participate fully in the work force.
§ Mr. HowardLong-term unemployment has halved in the past two years. The wide range of employment and training measures which the Government have put in place have helped to achieve that objective.
§ 36. Mr. HunterTo ask the Secretary of State for Employment what further measures he proposes to take to help the long-term unemployed.
Mr. JacksonThe number of people unemployed for one year or more has fallen by almost half a million in the last two years and in that period long-term unemployment has fallen faster than total unemployment. Our success has been based on policies which have led to a large number of new jobs, and on an extensive range of employment and training measures which are kept under regular review to ensure that they continue successfully and cost-effectively to help long-term unemployed people get back into work.