HC Deb 19 October 1992 vol 212 cc128-31W
Mr. Llwyd

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many young people currently awaiting places on youth training schemes in Wales are currently in receipt of bridging allowance; and what is the total value of the allowance.

Sir Wyn Roberts

The number of young people in receipt of bridging allowances at August 1992 in Wales was 515.

The value of the allowance is £15 per week per person.

Mr. Llwyd

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many trainees are currently on youth training schemes in Wales; and how many were deemed to need assistance with(a) numeracy and (b) literacy.

Sir Wyn Roberts

The most recent information available (estimates at 13 September 1992) indicates that there were approximately 14,300 trainees on youth training schemes in Wales.

Training and enterprise councils have an obligation to provide for young people with a numeracy or literacy need, but are not required to collect statistics indicating the numbers involved. The figures requested are, therefore, not available.

Mr. Llwyd

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will publish the percentage level for unemployment amongst youth training leavers in Wales in each year since 1989–90.

Sir Wyn Roberts

Information relating to the percentage level of unemployment amongst youth training leavers in Wales is provided in the table.

Unemployment amongst youth training leavers (Wales)
per cent.
April 1989 to March 1990 15.9
April 1990 to March 1991 22.5
April 1991 to December 19911 26.2
1 Latest period for which information is currently available.

Mr. Llwyd

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what was the overall budget allocated for youth training in Wales during 1991–92 and 1992–93; if he will publish the estimated budget level for 1993–94; and how much has been allocated per youth training place on average in each instance.

Sir Wyn Roberts

The youth training budget for 1991–92 was £52.152 million and for 1992–93 is £48.441 million; information relating to budgets for 1993–94 is not yet available.

The average price per filled place was £53.80 per week for 1991–92 and is £49.40 per week for 1992–93.

Mr. Llwyd

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what percentage of trainees on youth training placements achieved qualifications as part of their placement in each training and enterprise council area in Wales during each of the last three years; and what percentage of placements were brought to an end within three months in each training and enterprise council area.

Sir Wyn Roberts

Information relating to the achievement of qualifications on youth traning and numbers of youth training leavers within three months is provided in the tables.

Table 1
Qualifications obtained during 1990–91
Full qualification Part qualification
Per cent. Per cent.
Gwent 26 17
Swansea 35 21
Cardiff 29 19
Wrexham 40 23

The figures relate to the four areas of Wales which existed prior to the setting up of training and enterprise councils (TECs). Reliable figures on qualifications obtained are not available for TECs for 1990–91, since TECs in Wales were mostly operational for only a small part of the year.

Table 2
Qualifications obtained April-November 1991
Full qualification Part qualification
Per cent. Per cent.
Gwent 26 15
West Wales 36 22
Mid Glamorgan 27 19
South Glamorgan 26 15
North West Wales 46 24

These are the latest available figures for TECs, since follow up of YT leavers is undertaken six months after leaving.

Figures for north east Wales and Powys are not available owing to the low number of respondents to the follow up survey in those areas.

Table 3
Leavers staying less than three months with a training provider
Per cent.
1990–91
Gwent 34
Swansea 28
Cardiff 32
Wrexham 26

Per cent.
April 1991 to November 1991
Gwent 30
West Wales 30
Mid Glamorgan 29
South Glamorgan 34
Powys 23
North East Wales 7
North West Wales 15

The figures show the percentages of all leavers who spent less than three months with a training provider. They include those who transferred from one provider to another during the period.

Information is not available on the number of placements brought to an end within three months.

Mr. Llwyd

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if his Department will publish an estimated figure for the number of 16 and 17-year-olds in Wales who are without a job or a place on a training scheme and who are not in full-time education.

Sir Wyn Roberts

We have recently introduced new measures which will enable this information to be collected on a monthly basis. The first monthly count has only just been completed and we intend to publish this information as soon as we are satisfied that it is both comprehensive and accurate.

Mr. Llwyd

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many 16 and 17-year-olds have been(a) killed and (b) seriously injured in work-related training placement accidents on youth training and youth training schemes in Wales in each year since 1983.

Sir Wyn Roberts

The number of individuals who have been killed or injured on youth training schemes in Wales in each year since 1983 is given in the following table. Separate figures, by age, are not available.

Wales
YT(S) Accident statistics
Year Fatal Major Minor
11983 0 2 40
1984 0 20 162
1985 0 17 161
1986 2 26 173
1987 1 27 224
1988 1 46 265
1989 0 43 214
1990 0 36 189
1991 1 37 140
21992 0 8 61
1 The data for 1983 covers only the period 1 April to 31 December 1983.
2 The data for 1992 covers only the period 1 January to 30 June 1992.

Notes

(a) Employment Department figures for trainees have been compiled on a similar basis to those prepared by the Health and Safety Executive for employed persons. However, the Employment Department's figures include a number of accidents to trainees in educational establishments, and road traffic accidents, which would not have been reportable to the Health and Safety Executive had the individuals been employed.

(b) Major injuries are classified according to the severity criteria laid down in the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 1985. These regulations, which came into force on 1 April 1986, re-classified fractured wrists and ankles as major injuries. These were not classed as major injuries in the previous regulations, the Notifications of Accidents and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 1980 (NADOR).

Mr. Llwyd

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales which training and enterprise councils in Wales are currently not fulfilling the Government's guarantee of a training place on youth training schemes for all 16 and 17-year-olds in Wales.

Sir Wyn Roberts

We have recently introduced new measures which will enable information to be collected regularly to help identify localised difficulties, and which will encourage closer liaison between training and enterprise councils and careers services. The first monthly count under the new arrangement has only just been completed and it is therefore too early for the full picture to emerge. However, we have made it abundantly clear that we regard meeting the YT guarantee by TECs as of paramount importance and have said that no TEC will be prevented by lack of resource from meeting the guarantee.