HC Deb 24 January 1994 vol 236 cc96-8W
Mr. Nicholas Brown

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will estimate the number of(a) long-term unemployed people and (b) young jobseekers who have benefited, in each year since its establishment, from the European social fund's employment and training grants, giving each figure for (i) the northern region and (ii) the United Kingdom as a whole.

Mr. Michael Forsyth

The figures show the numbers in Great Britain and Northern region of long-term unemployed and young people supported by the European social fund, for each calendar application year:

1991 1992 1993
Great Britain
long-term unemployed 763,829 1,241,328
young people 333,773 589,946 810,410
Northern region
long-term unemployed 43,552 53,364
young people 40,690 47,579 66,921

1. Figures for 1990 are not available, and disaggregated figures for long-term unemployed are only available from 1992 onwards.

2. The European social fund in Northern Ireland is administered separately by the Department of Economic Development.

Mr. Nicholas Brown

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what was the total budget awarded to the EC's European social fund in each year since its establishment; and what proportion of this was granted to (i) the northern region and (ii) the United Kingdom as a whole.

Mr. Michael Forsyth

The figures set out below show the total value of European social fund payments across the Community. The figures are drawn from the published EC budget for each year since 1990, when the current arrangements for devolved management of the fund by member states came fully into operation:

1990 1991 1992 1993
mecu 3,322 3,869 4,505 5,061

The following figures show the level of spend in Great Britain and northern region for each calendar application year:

Year Great Britain Northern region £ million
1990 269.2
1991 367.0 26.0
1992 374.0 26.5
1993 595.0 45.0

Notes:

1. Regional data is only readily available for 1991 onwards.

2. Final figures of spend for 1993 are not yet available, so figures for committed spend have been provided.

3. The European social fund in Northern Ireland is administered by the Department of Economic Development.

Mr. Nicholas Brown

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what was the total value of the budgets provided by the European Community under the European social fund for(a) vocational training and guidance and (b) job creation in each year since its establishment; and what was the total allocation of each to (i) the Northern Region and (ii) the United Kingdom as a whole.

Mr. Michael Forsyth

Figures for the EC budget are not available separately for vocational training and job creation. However, the total value of the European social fund across the Community since 1990 is set out in the table. The figures are drawn from the published EC budget for each year since 1990, when the current arrangements for devolved management of the fund by member states came fully into operation.

Year Mecu
1990 3,322
1991 3,869
1992 4,505
1993 5,061

The following figures show the level of spend in Great Britain and northern region for vocational training and guidance, and job creation for each calendar application year, where data is readily available, since the time when management of the fund by member states came fully into operation:

£ million
1991 1992 1993
Great Britain
Vocational training 350.0 355.4 576.2
Job creation 15.9 17.0 16.5
Northern region
Vocational training 22.6 24.7 43.3
Job creation 3.4 1.7 2.0

Notes:

1. Regional data is only readily available for 1991 onwards.

2. Final figures of spend for 1993 are not yet available, so figures for committed spend have been provided.

3. The European social fund in Northern Ireland is administered separately by the Department of Economic Development.