HC Deb 26 November 1991 vol 199 cc490-1W
Ms. Short

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what information he has about the participation of people leaving Her Majesty's forces in the full range of training and employment schemes which are made available for the unemployed; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Jackson

The Employment Department group does not collect statistical information about ex-HM forces members entering training schemes or participating in Employment Service programmes.

Ms. Short

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what provision including the levels of funding he is asking training and enterprise councils/local enterprise councils and the Employment Service to make available in 1991–92 and over the next three years to members of Her Majesty's forces to resettle into employment following "Options for Change"; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Jackson

The Employment Service's full range of programmes and services is available to forces personnel to help them resettle into employment. Additional funding was allocated to the Employment Service in 1991–92 to allow it to introduce new programmes for newly unemployed people. These programmes are particularly suited to the needs of forces personnel and comprise job review workshops, which help with careers advice, and jobsearch seminars to improve job hunting techniques. The Employment Service has a long tradition of helping ex-forces personnel into employment and it is discussing with the Ministry of Defence ways in which this can be built on.

Training and enterprise councils and local enterprise companies will take account of the training and enterprise support needs of members of Her Majesty's forces seeking resettlement, as they will for any particular group. Ex-service personnel may enter employment training through a special eligibility route.

The proportion of training and enterprise budgets used to train ex-service personnel is the responsibility of individual training and enterprise councils and local enterprise companies and is determined by local needs and priorities.