§ Mr. BercowTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if he will make a statement on the sub-contracting of the pastoral supervision role of the European Voluntary Service to third parties; and if he will list the agencies his Department has approved for this purpose. [45316]
§ Dr. HowellsThe Youth Exchange Centre is the national agency for the European Voluntary Service programme in the UK. Projects wishing to host young volunteers undergo rigorous scrutiny before being accepted into the programme. Provision for pastoral supervision is an important component of that scrutiny.
§ Mr. CashTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if he will make a statement on the merging of Youth for Europe and the European Voluntary Service after 1999.[46132]
§ Dr. HowellsYouth for Europe and the European Voluntary Service will conclude at the end of 1999. The European Commission has recently published proposals to establish a Youth Community Action Programme (2000–2004) incorporating both these programmes. The draft Decision will be considered by Member States with a view to enabling Council to reach a common position on the proposals in due course.