HC Deb 05 March 1990 vol 168 cc504-6W
Ms. Short

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment in what circumstances the DE Training Agency will take steps to recover payments of ET training allowances paid to people no longer entitled to them; in how many cases the DETA has taken such steps; how much has been recovered; whether there have been any prosecutions; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Nicholls

It is the normal practice to seek recovery in all cases where it is clear that a person has received a training allowance to which they are not entitled. Prosecution would be considered only where there was evidence of fraudulent intent and no prosecutions have taken place in cases of the kind referred to in the question. Information on numbers of cases in which recovery has been sought and the amounts involved is not held centrally.

Mr. Tony Lloyd

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many(a) women and (b) men on employment training are married parents; and how many of these have (i) claimed and (ii) been granted child care payments.

Mr. Nicholls

Financial help with child care is available only to lone parents on employment training. At the end of December 1989 about 3 per cent. of all those on the programme were receiving child care payments. It is not known how many claims for child care allowances were made or met or how many trainees making these claims were either men or women or whether or not they were married.

Mr. Tony Lloyd

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many(a) women and (b) men on employment training are single parents; and how many of these have (i) claimed and (ii) been granted child care payments.

Mr. Nicholls

At the end of December 1989 about 3 per cent. of all those on employment training were receiving child care payments. It is not known how many claims for child care allowances were made or met or how many trainees making these claims were either men or women. All trainees receiving child care payments are single parents.

Mr. Wood

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how he proposes to improve employment training in the light of the establishment of training and enterprise councils; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Howard

Training and enterprise councils (TECs) will have the flexibility to make Employment Training even more responsive to the training needs of both individuals and employers within local labour markets. I am arranging for the TECs to enjoy:

  • the freedom to decide arrangements for assessment and guidance leading to an agreed individual training programme for all entrants to ET;
  • the freedom to decide how training should be designed; the freedom to determine how training providers are funded;
  • the freedom to determine many of the terms and conditions for trainees;
  • more freedom in the provision of ET to people unemployed for less than 6 months;
  • the freedom to enable individuals to train for longer than the existing limit of 12 months (within an agreed budget).

The funding for TECs will reflect success in helping people into jobs, self-employment, further education or other full-time training. At least 10 per cent. of ET funding will be for such positive outcomes achieved by their trainees.

The arrangements for payment of training allowances will remain unchanged. These new flexibilities will enable TECs to he creative in designing attractive and effective training options, while building on the excellent experience of employment training to date.

Mr. McLeish

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what are the total numbers of special group entrants to employment training without being unemployed for six months for the categories(a) people with disabilities, (b) ex-offenders, (c) those seeking high technology shortage skills, (d) on enterprise training, (e) women returners, (f) ex-regulars, (g) inner-city residents in certain pilot areas and (h) lone parents between September 1988 and December 1989 for Great Britain.

Mr. Nicholls

[holding answer 12 February 1990]: Information on ex-offenders, high technology shortage skills entrants and inner city residents in pilot areas in the special eligibility category could only be obtained at disproportionate cost. Information for the other groups is given in the table.

Employment training special eligibility group entrants as a proportion of all entrants September 1988 to December 1989 (Estimated)
Group Estimated proportion of all entrants Per cent.
Enterprise trainees 4.0
People with disabilities 3.0
Ex-regulars 10.5
Women returners 3.0
Lone parents 2.0
1 Less than.