HC Deb 12 June 1990 vol 174 cc129-30W
Mr. Worthington

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland (1) what will be the nature of the contractual obligations placed upon local enterprise companies which will ensure that training is made available to people who have disabilities;

(2) what safeguard over funding will be made to ensure that local enterprise companies are able to provide training opportunities for people who have disabilities;

(3) what plans he has to ensure that training for employment for people who have disabilities will continue under Scottish Enterprise at the same or enhanced level.

Mr. Lang

[holding answer 11 June 1990]: Local enterprise companies will be provided with appropriate levels of resources and obliged by the terms of their contract to meet performance targets relating specifically to provision for trainees with special needs. In the unlikely event of an individual local enterprise company failing to meet its contractual obligations in this or any other respect, Scottish Enterprise will take immediate remedial action, which can ultimately, if the issue is sufficiently serious, take the form of cancellation of the contract and direct delivery of services by Scottish Enterprise itself until an alternative local enterprise company is established.

The Government are determined that the creation of Scottish Enterprise and local enterprise companies should not result in a diminution of support for trainees with special needs of one sort or another.

Mr. Worthington

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what initiatives have been taken to ensure that adequate training for employment is available to meet the needs of people who have disabilities in Scotland.

Mr. Lang

[holding answer 11 June 1990]: Youth training will ensure that adequate training is available to meet the needs of young people aged 16 to 18 years who have disabilities, by a strengthened guarantee of training to all young people under 18 offering a training opportunity suitable to the needs of every young person. Funding arrangements are set to ensure that available resources are concentrated on the most vulnerable groups of young people.

Employment training will provide training for people with disabilities by special measures which include an extension of the training period to up to two years for people with special training needs, communication services for the deaf, adaptation to premises and equipment, special aids to employment, such as tools and equipment, and a personal reader service for the blind. In addition, for people with disabilities, there is no numerical ceiling on entry applied, the normal eligibility criteria are waived and people with disabilities can enter employment training immediately provided they are unemployed.

Mr. Worthington

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what plans he has to improve the level and quality of training for people who have disabilities in Scotland; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Lang

[holding answer 11 June 1990]: I am satisfied that the new flexibilities introduced for youth training and employment training will make a significant contribution to improving the level and quality of training for people and unemployed people including those who have disabilities.