§ Dr. KumarTo ask the Secretary of State For Employment if it is the intention of the Government to level out prices in order to bring about a fixed unit price for training and enterprise councils nationwide; and what consideration he has given to the variation across the United Kingdom in terms of(a) the level of employed status, (b) the number of clients with special needs, (c) the difference in the rate of unemployment and (d) the differences in the availability of work employment placements.
Mr. JacksonThe Government have no intention of bringing about a fixed unit price for training and enterprise councils nationwide. Unit prices for training and enterprise councils take account of local variations in their labour markets, including the factors listed by the hon. Member.
§ Dr. KumarTo ask the Secretary of State for Employment on what basis he decided to encourage an increase in the number of national vocational qualifications to meet the CBI targets and other quality measures without making a corresponding increase in the funding of TECS.
Mr. JacksonOur priority is to encourage the development of the highly skilled and flexible work force the economy needs. On the Government's behalf, we have therefore welcomed the CBI's targets, since they are based on nationally recognised qualifications and have been set by employers, who have the main responsibility for taking action to achieve them. We have also invited TECs to take the lead in their local communities in promoting action by employers and others to work towards the targets. TECs will be given the funding to do the tasks the Government have asked them to do.
§ Dr. KumarTo ask the Secretary of State for Employment how he intends to fund the training of new32W people entering the employment register within the lower total budget available to training and enterprise councils for 1992–93.
Mr. JacksonPlanned spending on YT and ET in 1992–93 will increase. In addition, resources for a range of measures delivered by the Employment Service for unemployed people have also been increased. Detailed figures will be published shortly in "The Government's Expenditure Plans 1991–1992 to 1992–1994" for the Employment Department group.
§ Dr. KumarTo ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he has any plans to increse the money within TECs' training budgets.
Mr. JacksonThe Department is currently negotiating business plans for 1992-93 with all TECs. The Government plan to spend £2.8 billion on training, enterprise and vocational education programmes this year, which is more than was spent last year.
§ Dr. KumarTo ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will publish the budget for all the TECs in the United Kingdom for the years(a) 1991–92 and (b) 1992–93.
Mr. JacksonThe table shows the TEC operational budgets for 1991–92. Information for Scottish local enterprise companies is for my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Scotland to provide. Budgets are for the period of TEC operation only and vary in the periods they cover because of the differing operational dates of TECs.
The TEC budgets for 1992–93 are still subject to negotiation.
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TEC Allocation £ million South East Essex (23 July 1990) 29.162 Hampshire (17 September 1990) 31.963 Heart of England (17 September 1990) 10.733 Hertfordshire (30 April 1990) 19.527 Isle of Wight (15 October 1990) 4.123 Kent (12 November 1990) 32.172 Milton Keynes and North Bucks (17 September 1990) 6.488 Surrey (1 April 1991) 14.070 Sussex (1 April 1991) 25.984 Thames Valley Enterprise (30 April 1990) 19.784 London AZTEC (12 November 1990) 10.742 CENTEC (16 September 1991) 11.951 CILNTEC (14 October 1991) 8.124 LETEC (1 April 1991) 27.618 North London (16 September 1991) 9.690 North West London (16 September 1991) 5.625 SOLOTEC (1 April 1991) 18.555 South Thames (27 May 1991) 20.510 West London (16 September 1991) 8.945 South West Avon (1 April 1991) 29.263 Devon and Cornwall (30 April 1990) 52.475 Dorset (30 April 1990) 15.488 Gloucester (7 January 1991) 13.010 Somerset (23 July 1990) 13.259 Wiltshire (1 April 1991) 12.766 West Midlands Birmingham (12 November 1990) 46.456 Central England (1 April 1991) 10.975 Coventry (17 September 1990) 25.768
TEC Allocation £ million Dudley (1 April 1991) 11.203 Hereford and Worcester (1 April 1991) 10.141 Sandwell (1 April 1991) 11.427 Shropshire (1 April 1991) 13.460 Staffordshire (15 October 1990) 34.627 Walsall (15 October 1990) 23.544 Wolverhampton (1 April 1991) 11.564 East Midlands and Anglia Leicester (1 April 1991) 26.339 Northamptonshire (1 April 1991) 12.852 Lincolnshire (1 April 1991) 8.174 Greater Nottingham (1 April 1991) 21.420 North Nottingham (25 June 1960) 16.965 South Derbyshire (7 January 1991) 17.607 North Derbyshire (1 April 1991) 11.544 Norfolk and Waveney (12 November 1990) 22.888 Suffolk (12 November 1990) 14.243 Bedfordshire (1 April 1991) 12.137 Greater Peterborough (4 February 1991) 8.174 CAMBSTEC (4 February 1991) 6.362 Yorkshire and Humberside Leeds (15 October 1990) 22.497 North Yorkshire (25 June 1990) 17.006 Bradford (7 January 1991) 18.696 Calderdale/Kirklees (3 April 1990) 20.592 Wakefield (7 January 1991) 12.231 Barnsley and Doncaster (7 January 1991) 25.705 Sheffield (1 October 1990) 24.206 Rotherham (30 July 1990) 12.127 Humberside (2 April 1991) 37.537 North West Bolton and Bury (15 October 1990) 12.9 CEWTEC (1 April 1991) 21.0 Cumbria (30 April 1990) 17.3 ELTEC (29 May 1990) 17.3 LAWTEC (1 April 1991) 26.3 Manchester (12 November 1990) 38.5 METROTEC (23 July 1990) 10.5 Oldham (30 April 1990) 8.6 QUALITEC (1 April 1991) 9.3 Rochdale (30 April 1990) 6.5 S and E Cheshire (9 April 1990) 10.9 Stockport and High Peak (20 August 1990) 9.7 Merseyside (24 June 1991) 41.6 NORMID (24 June 1991) 11.9 Northern Teeside (30 April 1990) 34.565 Tyneside (30 April 1990) 45.908 Wearside (30 April 1990) 21.484 Durham (1 October 1990) 34.380 Northumberland (17 September 1990) 15.639 Wales Gwent (4 February 1991) 18.4 North East Wales (17 September 1990) 13.6 North West Wales (4 February 1991) 13.6 Mid Glamorgan (23 July 1990) 21.1 Powys (2 April 1991) 4.8 South Glamorgan (4 February 1991) 14.1 West Wales (23 July 1990) 31.5
§ Dr. KumarTo ask the Secretary of State for Employment how his Department uses business plans prepared by local TECs.
Mr. JacksonThe business plan sets out the TEC's planned activity for the year ahead. It forms the basis of any negotiations with the TEC on matters such as levels of resources. The approved business plan represents what the TEC agrees to deliver under its contract with us.
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§ Dr. KumarTo ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will remove restrictions imposed within the operating agreement for local training and enterprise councils which meet the needs of their own areas.
Mr. JacksonWe are satisfied that the operating agreement with training and enterprise councils gives them the flexibility to arrange provision to meet the specific needs of their local areas.
§ Dr. KumarTo ask the Secretary of State for Employment what consideration he has given to transferring the remit of training and enterprise councils back to his Department.
Mr. JacksonWe are very satisfied with the way TECs are discharging their training and enterprise remit, and have no plans to transfer their responsibilities back to the Department.
§ Dr. KumarTo ask the Secretary of State for Employment what priority he gives to the business plan of local training and enterprise councils as compared with other main programmes for the unemployed.
Mr. JacksonThe activities set out in the training and enterprise councils' business plans are an important part of the wide range of help given to unemployed people through the Department.