HC Deb 15 April 1994 vol 241 cc344-5W
Mr. Worthington

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what ESF funding is allocated to support youth training and training-for-work schemes; and what percentage of the cost of these schemes, or their forerunners, has been met by the European social fund in each of the past 10 years.

Mr. Michael Forsyth

Information in the form requested is not available.

Mr. Tony Lloyd

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how much money his Department has received from the European social fund in each year since 1990; and to what that money has been allocated.

Mr. Michael Forsyth

Figures for money from the European social fund handled by the Department over the years in question are as follows:

£ million
1990 296.18
1991 367.75
1992 377.57
1993 624.01

The figures for 1990, 1991 and 1992 relate to final amounts paid to applicant bodies, whereas figures for 1993 relate to amounts originally approved, since final claims for the programmes in question have not yet been submitted. Figures for Community initiatives between 1991 and 1993 are included in the 1993 figures.

Over the period, the ESF has supported a wide range of vocational training schemes and employment measures run by a variety of bodies, including voluntary organisations, further and higher education colleges, Government Departments, local authorities, training and enterprise councils and local enterprise companies and industry training organisations.

Dame Elaine Kellett-Bowman

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what recent changes there have been in the policy of the European Community Commission towards the provision of money for the United Kingdom under objective 3 of the social fund for training for the unemployed; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Michael Forsyth

In July last year the regulations governing the EC structural funds, including the European social fund, were revised. As a result, help for the long-term unemployed and young people are combined under objective 3, together with new priorities for others at risk of permanent exclusion from the labour market and promotion of equal opportunities for men and women.

The Government submitted to the European Commission in early November 1993 a plan for objective 3 spending in Great Britain over the period 1994–99; a copy of this has been placed in the Library. We await a decision from the Commission on the plan.