South London Training and Enterprise Council (Hansard, 31 March 1995)

§ Ms Ruddock
To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many contracts were issued by SOLOTEC to provide training for people with special needs in the financial year 1994–95; and how many are expected to be issued in 1995–96. [17431]

§ Mr. Paice
SOLOTEC issued 10 contracts providing training for special needs in the financial year 1994–95. Subject to final contracting, it is anticipated that there will be eight special needs contracts issued for 1995–96 for the current four boroughs. Provision for the boroughs of Greenwich and Lewisham is still under discussion.

§ Ms Ruddock
To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if elected local authority representatives are eligible for the expanded board of SOLOTEC. [17432]

§ Mr. Paice
The eligibility conditions for training and enterprise council directors are laid down in the Department's contract with TECs. These require that at least two thirds are top executives from the private sector and that all TEC directors from the public sector must be at chief executive level or its equivalent. Any new directors recruited to SOLOTEC's board must meet these requirements. Status as an elected authority representative does not disqualify someone from being a TEC director so long as the eligibility conditions are met.

§ Ms Ruddock
To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many training providers are currently under contract to SOLOTEC for the provision of(a) training for youth credits, (b) training for work courses and (c) investors in people on 1 March; how many are expected to be contracted as at 1 April; and what advice he has received about the size of the supplier base for SOLOTEC when it accepts responsibility for training provision in Lewisham and Greenwich post-24 April. [17433]

§ Mr. Paice
SOLOTEC had 20 training providers under contract for youth credits and 24 for training for work as at 1 March 1995. Subject to final contracting, it is anticipated that there will be 20 youth credits providers and 18 training for work contractors from 1 April. SOLOTEC does not contract with providers for investors in people as the training and enterprise council has an in-house team which works directly with employers. Provision for the boroughs of Greenwich and Lewisham after 24 April 1995 is still under discussion.

§ Ms Ruddock
To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many youth training guarantees were made in the financial year 1994–95 to young people in the area covered by SOLOTEC; and how many are expected to be made in 1995–96. [17430]

§ Mr. Paice
Some 2,335 youth training guarantees were made in 1994–95 to young people in the area covered by SOLOTEC. The figure for expected guarantee starts in 1995–96 in the current SOLOTEC area is 2,250.