House of Commons Hansard Debates for 13 Mar 1990

Mr. Howard : Sixty-four employer-led groups have been given development funding to establish training and enterprise councils (TECs). A further six applications are under consideration, and 12 more are expected later. This will give a complete network of TECs across England and Wales.

58. Mr. Latham : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment whether he will make a statement on training and enterprise councils.

64. Mr. Summerson : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will make a statement on the progress of the training and enterprise council network.

Mr. Eggar : I have been very encouraged by the excellent response from employers throughout the country since we issued the invitation to form training and enterprise councils.

80. Mr. Trotter : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment when he last met the chairman of the Tynemouth training and enterprise council ; and what matters were discussed.

Mr. Nicholls : My right hon. and learned Friend met the chairman of the prospective training and enterprise council for Tyneside on 23 January. The development of a TEC for the area and the progress being made with their plans was discussed.

Job Clubs

28. Dr. Michael Clark : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will make a statement on the progress of job clubs.

Mr. Eggar : In recent months job clubs have been particularly successful in attracting entrants--20 per cent. more during the last quarter of 1989 than during the corresponding period in 1988. The employment service is currently considering its plans for 1990-91. Provision will be made for a large and vigorous job club programme to continue.

I believe that job club is an excellent programme offering practical help with jobsearch to long-term unemployed people and others at a disadvantage in the labour market.

Column 209

YTS

29. Mr. Boswell : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what proportion of YTS leavers go into a job, further education or training.

Mr. Nicholls : Eighty-one per cent. of all young people who leave YTS courses go into either employment, further education or training.

35. Mr. Richard Shepherd : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what proportion of those who complete a YTS course achieve a qualification.

Mr. Nicholls : Sixty-seven per cent. of those young people who complete a YTS course achieve a qualification.

Overseas Teachers

31. Mr. Cox : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what has been the number of work permits that have been given to overseas teachers to work in England and Wales during the past 12 months ; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Eggar : Figures are not available for England and Wales alone. The total number of work permits recorded as having been issued to employers wishing to employ overseas teachers in Great Britain between March 1989 and February 1990 was 323.

Hosiery Industry

33. Mr. Janner : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment whether he will make a statement regarding employment levels within the hosiery industry in Leicestershire.

Mr. Nicholls : The latest available employment estimates for the county are from the September 1987 census of employment. There were then 29,000 employees employed in the manufacture of hosiery and other weft knitted goods and fabrics (activity heading 4363 of the standard industrial classification 1980) in Leicestershire.

Employment Training

34. Mr. Clelland : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will give the total number of employment training referrals from the employment scheme to training agents in each of the months of November and December 1989 and the number of ET starts in each of those months.

Mr. Nicholls : The information requested is given in the following table.



referrals to employment training                                                                                                                                


managers                                                                                                                                                        


                                                                                                                                                                


                                                                                                                                                                


November                        |75,700                         |36,200                                                                                         


December                        |59,100                         |26,300

39. Mr. Livsey : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he has any plans to introduce a compulsory element to employment training.

Mr. Nicholls : My right hon. and learned Friend has no current plans to change the basis on which employment

Column 210

training operates. Employment training is a highly successful programme with 209,000 voluntary participants in training.

46. Mr. Eastham : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will make a statement on employment training in Greater Manchester.

Mr. Nicholls : Employment training in Greater Manchester, as nationally, continues to make excellent progress. It is currently helping nearly 9,700 unemployed people to get the skills and experience they need to obtain jobs.

Mr. O'Brien : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many people on the Government employment training scheme have left the training course before the completion of their programme in the Yorkshire region in the last 12 months ; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Nicholls : The information requested is not available.

77. Mr. Parry : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment whether he has any plans to modify employment training.

Mr. Nicholls : I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to my hon. Friend the Member for Stevenage (Mr. Wood) on 5 March 1990, Official Report, column 507 .

Vocational Training

37. Mr. Wallace : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will obtain for his Department's library the recently published reports into vocational training published by the National Institute of Economic and Social Research.

Mr. Eggar : The Library has purchased copies of the institute's recently published compilation of its reports on vocational training entitled "Productivity, Education and Training :--Britain and other Countries Compared."

Disabled People

38. Mrs. Mahon : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what additional measures he plans to introduce to enable disabled persons to participate fully in the work force.

41. Ms. Ruddock : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what steps he intends to take to encourage the disabled to participate fully in the workplace.

Mr. Eggar : The adequacy of current measures to enable people with disabilities to participate fully in the work force is being considered in the review of services for people with disabilities which my Department has been undertaking. A consultative document covering the conclusions reached in the review will be published as soon as possible.

55. Mr. McAllion : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what guidelines are issued to his Department's staff regarding the distribution of quota exemption permits to employers.

Mr. Eggar : Instructions to disablement resettlement officers require them to consider the availability of suitable

Column 211

registered disabled people and the degree of commitment shown by employers towards meeting their obligations under the Disabled Persons (Employment) Act 1944.

Construction Industry Training Board

40. Mr. Bellingham : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment when he next plans to meet the chairman of the construction industry training board ; and what he proposes to discuss.

Mr. Nicholls : My right hon. and learned Friend expects to meet the chairman to discuss plans for taking forward training within the industry soon after the board is reconstituted.

Tourism

42. Mr. Alton : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what steps his Department has taken to promote tourism in Merseyside.

Mr. Nicholls : Through the English tourist board, my Department supports the work of the North-West tourist board in promoting tourism throughout the north-west. Specific Merseyside activities include the Liverpool strategic development initiative. My Department is also involved in the work of the Liverpool city action team, several of whose initiatives benefit tourism in the area.

43. Mr. Mans : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what has been the increase in the total of self-employment within the tourism industry since 1983.

Mr. Nicholls : The latest available estimate from the labour force survey indicates that there were 204,000 self-employed workers in tourism- related industries in spring 1988--44,000 more than in spring 1983.

52. Mr. Bevan : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what was the value of spending in Britain by overseas visitors in 1989.

Mr. Nicholls : It is provisionally estimated that overseas residents spent £6,850 million in the United Kingdom during 1989--11 per cent. more than in 1988.

Health and Safety

45. Mr. Tony Lloyd : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what plans there are for increasing the number of construction inspectors within the Health and Safety Executive.

Mr. Nicholls : The Health and Safety Executive has achieved its objective of having 100 inspectors regularly engaged on the inspection of construction activities nationally by 1990. This number will be maintained. The HSE has no plans to increase the number in 1990, but the position will be kept under review.

54. Mr. Boyes : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what plans he has to extend health and safety protection at work.

Mr. Nicholls : The Government have increased financial provision for the Health and Safety Commission and Executive over previously agreed levels again for 1990-91. The additional provision is £7 million, excluding money transferred from the Department of Energy for nuclear safety research.

Column 212

My right hon. and learned Friend the Secretary of State expects shortly to receive for his approval details of the commission's plans for 1990-91 and beyond. The commission hopes to publish its plan of work in May.

71. Mr. Nigel Griffiths : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he has any plans to introduce legislation allowing for heavier fines for cases brought by the Health and Safety Executive.

Mr. Nicholls : The introduction of legislation allowing for heavier fines, including those for cases brought by the Health and Safety Executive, is the responsibility of my right hon. and learned Friend the Secretary of State for the Home Department.

73. Mr. Lofthouse : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what steps the Health and Safety Executive is taking to comply with European Community directives on the workplace, the use of workplace equipment and the use of personal protective equipment.

Mr. Eggar : The Health and Safety Executive is assessing what changes to existing legislation need to be made in the light of the directives, and will make recommendations to the Health and Safety Commission in due course. The commission hopes to publish proposals in the form of a consultative document by about the end of this year.

Benefit Fraud

48. Mr. Ian Bruce : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many people have withdrawn their claims to benefit as a result of employment service fraud investigations since 1987.

Mr. Eggar : The latest available figures show that since June 1987 204,500 people have withdrawn their claims to benefit following fraud investigations.

68. Mr. Simon Coombs : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what were the total savings to the taxpayer achieved by employment service fraud investigations in 1989.

Mr. Eggar : The total saving to the taxpayer in 1989 was £53.16 million.

TVEI

53. Mr. Andy Stewart : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will make a statement on the progress of the technical and vocational education initiative.

Mr. Nicholls : The technical and vocational education initiative (TVEI) is making excellent progress. Over half a million students are currently involved. Significant achievements are being recorded in the 81 education authorities currently extending TVEI to all their schools and colleges :

(i) The proportion of students taking balanced science courses has virtually doubled from 36 per cent. to 64 per cent.

(ii) Students taking design and technology courses has virtually doubled from 30 per cent. to 55 per cent.

(iii) 71 per cent. of teachers report TVEI has increased students ability to solve problems.

(iv) 70 per cent. of employers feel that what TVEI teaches is relevant to their needs.

Column 213

As the initiative expands, all students will be getting a period of work experience, an individual action plan and a record of achievement. I am confident that TVEI is making a significant contribution to improving the quality of the nation's work force.

Stonehenge

61. Mr. Key : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment whether he has met the chairman of English Heritage to discuss the tourism potential of Stonehenge ; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Howard : Since my appointment as Secretary of State for Employment, I have not yet had the opportunity of meeting the chairman of English Heritage.

Job Creation

62. Mr. Hinchliffe : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will now meet representatives of the local authority associations to discuss the role of local government in job creation.

Mr. Eggar : I have no plans for such a meeting. Local authorities are aware that they can help to create jobs by attracting industrial and commercial investment. The Government have assisted the authorities which can benefit most from investment by, among other things, the creation of enterprise zones such as Wakefield.

Restart

63. Mrs. Maureen Hicks : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many restart interviews were conducted between April 1988 and December 1989.

Mr. Eggar : The number of restart interviews conducted between April 1988 and December 1989 was 3,758,000.

Employment Rights

66. Mr. Jack Thompson : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what plans he has to extend employment rights to all those in work.

Mr. Nicholls : I refer the hon. Member to my answer to the hon. Member for Tyne Bridge (Mr. Clelland) on 7 December 1989, Official Report, column 205 .

Age Discrimination

69. Mr. Barry Field : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what further steps his Department is taking to discourage the practice of age discrimination among employers.

Mr. Nicholls : The Government believe that older workers are a valuable resource. Age discrimination is unfair to individuals and not in an employer's own interest. We continue to put this message across to employers through various media, particularly in the context of publicity about demographic change. In addition, instructions to jobcentre staff have been strengthened to ensure all upper age limits on vacancies notified by employers are challenged. There are encouraging signs that employers are heeding this message. We will continue our efforts to ensure this progress continues.

Column 214

EC Employment Ministers

70. Mr. Holt : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment when he last met his opposite numbers in (a) France, (b) Germany and (c) Italy ; and what was discussed.

Mr. Howard : I met my European Community counterparts at an informal meeting of Labour and Social Affairs Ministers in Dublin on 1 and 2 March when we discussed help for the long-term unemployed and training assistance for eastern European countries.

I was also able to secure agreement that the Commission would in future present regular reports to the Council of Ministers on member states' records in implementing European legislation. This will show that the United Kingdom has an extremely good record on implementation and will help to ensure that Community legislation is effectively and fairly implemented throughout the Community. It will also make member states think more carefully about implementation before agreeing to new directives.

Industrial Action

74. Mr. Riddick : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what was the annual average of working days lost due to industrial action in each of the last two decades.

Mr. Nicholls : The annual average of working days lost due to industrial disputes in the 1970s was 12.9 million. The provisional estimate for the 1980s is 7.2 million.

Women Workers

76. Mr. Orme : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what steps he is taking to encourage women back into the workplace after having children.

Mr. Nicholls : It is not Government policy specifically to encourage women with dependent children back to work. It must be a matter of personal choice for the woman concerned. For details of the steps being taken by the Government to help those women who wish to do so to return to the labour market, I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to a question from my hon. Friend the Member for Derbyshire, South (Mrs. Currie) on 16 January, Official Report, columns 234-35.

Small Businesses

78. Mr. David Evans : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what has been the average weekly increase in the number of small businesses created over the last three years for which figures are available.

Mr. Eggar : In 1988, the latest year for which figures have been published by my Department, the net increase in the number of VAT- registered businesses averaged just over 1,200 per week. This compares with 800 a week in 1987 and 500 a week in 1986. Early indications from data collected by HM Customs and Excise are that there was a net increase in 1989 of 1,500 a week on average.

Column 215

Work Trial Placements

Ms. Primarolo : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will give the latest figures for the number of work trial placements completed under the job interview guarantee scheme for each of the sites of the pilot scheme ; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Eggar : The number of work trial placements completed is as follows :



                                                                                     


                                                                                     


Lower Don Valley |1               |1                                                 


Leeds            |2               |2                                                 


Sunderland       |1               |1                                                 


Cardiff          |1               |-

The job interview guarantee involves an employer guaranteeing to interview long-term unemployed people from inner cities who are submitted from one or more of the following : matching-screening service, a job preparation course, a job club adopted by an employer, a work trial and a customised training course. It was formally launched in 20 pilot areas in November 1989. The latest available information is that 1,556 individuals, which includes those still participating, and 403 employers have participated in the initiative. The progress of the pilots has been encouraging. So far, 587 people have been placed in jobs including 60 per cent. of participants in the job preparation courses.

Training Agency

Mr. Blair : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will list the funding paid to each area covered by the Training Agency for 1989- 90 and the estimated funding for each of the following three years.

Mr. Nicholls : The information is not available in the precise form requested. Expenditure for field-delivered training programmes for April to December 1989 by Training Agency regions is set out in the table. The Government's plans for overall expenditure by the Training Agency over the next three years are set out in chapter 6 of the public expenditure White Paper (CM 1006).



Training Agency expenditure April to December 1989                              


<1> The TECS and National Provider's Unit is based centrally and holds          


contracts for major companies who provide training throughout Great Britain.    


Note: Expenditure excludes training allowances and other costs administered     


centrally.

Asbestos

Mr. Dalyell : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will make a statement on his proposals for reducing asbestos-related hazards.

Mr. Nicholls : The Government have already introduced a comprehensive range of legislation to reduce the risks from exposure to asbestos in both the work place and the environment and I have no plans at present for further legislation.

Departmental Staff

Ms. Mowlam : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will give the numbers of people employed in his Department in 1979 and 1989.

Mr. Eggar : The number employed by this Department in 1979 was 53, 657 and in 1989 it was 56,376.

Skills Training Agency

Mr. Amos : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will make a further statement about the sale of the Skills Training Agency.

Mr. Eggar : Further to the statement that my right hon. and learned Friend made to the House on 13 February 1990, Offical Report, column 141, about the sale of the Skills Training Agency (STA), I can announce that terms of sale have now been agreed with the Training Business for the business located at Lambeth skill centre. The offer from the Training Business was considered against the Government's objectives for the sale, which were placed in the Vote Office on 13 February, and will involve a payment of some £0.8 million from the Government to the Training Business : this reflects the need for restructuring and reforming the business at the skill centre. There will be no loss to the Government from the transaction compared with the alternative of closing the skill centre. This brings the total number of skill centres businesses which will be sold up to 52. There will be no more sales of training businesses.

Statistical Divisions

Mr. Dobson : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment (1) what are the latest figures for the number of staff presently employed, and the full complement of staff, including vacant posts, by grade, in the statistical divisions in the Training Agency ; if he will differentiate between staff in statistical posts and staff in administrative posts ; and if he will give the staffing complements by grade, and differentiated between statistical and administrative posts, proposed for 1990-91 ;

(2) what are the latest figures for the number of staff presently employed, and the full complement of staff, including vacant posts, by grade, in the statistical divisions in his Department ; if he will differentiate between staff in statistical posts and staff in administration posts ; and if he will give the staffing complements by grade, and differentiated between statistical and administrative posts, proposed for 1990-91.

Mr. Nicholls [holding answer 12 March 1990] : The numbers of staff, by grade, employed as at 31 January 1990

Next Section

Home Page