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Mr. Ryder [holding answer 5 June 1990] : Total efficiency savings and gains amounted to some £2.2 millon in 1988-89 and £2.6 million in 1989-90. The principal methods of identification were purchasing savings and staff inspections and reviews. Comparable figures for earlier years are not available because of machinery of Government changes.
EMPLOYMENT
Restart
Ms. Primarolo : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what plans there are for the options courses or other restart menu items to be made compulsory.
Mr. Eggar : As my right hon. and learned Friend announced to the House on 11 May, my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Social Security intends to introduce regulations later this year which will enable employment service staff to require the attendance at a restart course of those who have been unemployed for two years or more and who, at subsequent restart interviews, refused to participate in any of my Department's
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employment and training programmes. In some areas, restart courses are known locally as options courses and they will be covered by these regulations.There are no plans at present to make attendance at any of the other opportunities offered at the restart interview compulsory. However, the conditions attached to Department of Employment programmes are kept continuously under review.
Special Needs Training
Mr. Wigley : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what specific new measures are expected to be made available for the training of people with special needs arising from disabilities and learning difficulties in each region.
Mr. Eggar : The new training and enterprise councils (TECs) are required to set out how they intend to meet the training needs of local people, including those with disabilities and learning difficulties, in their corporate and business plans.
Subject to approval of these plans, and to certain general contractual requirements, it will be a matter for individual TECs to decide what specific new measures they adopt.
Mr. Wigley : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he has any plans to appoint a TEC director to have explicit responsibility for the disabled and people with learning difficulties ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Eggar : It is for each training and enterprise council (TEC) to determine the membership of its board within the broad parameters set out by my Department.
Collectively, the TEC board will be responsible for identifying and meeting the training needs of people in its area including those of people with disabilities.
Mr. Wigley : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what steps are being taken to encourage TECs to fund the higher unit cost training of disabled people.
Mr. Eggar: Training and enterprise councils will be expected to offer a full range of training opportunities for people living in their area including people with disabilities.
TECs will also have access to specialist residential training providers offering places to people with disabilities who need special facilities and support.
Training and Enterprise Councils
Ms. Richardson : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many board members are on training and enterprise councils.
Mr. Eggar : There are 175 board members on the 13 operational training and enterprise councils.
Ms. Richardson : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many training and enterprise councils have been formed.
Mr. Eggar : Thirteen training and enterprise councils have signed an operating contract and a further 63 are in their development stage.
Ms. Richardson : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many board members on training and enterprise councils are women.
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Mr. Eggar : There are 17 women board members on the 13 operational training and enterprise councils.Ms. Richardson : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many training and enterprise councils have a woman chair.
Mr. Eggar : To date, one training and enterprise council has appointed a woman to chair the council.
Ms. Richardson : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many board members on training and enterprise councils are from industry and what is the make-up from other entries.
Mr. Eggar : There are 122 board members from the private sector on the 13 operational training and enterprise councils (TECs). Other board members include 15 representatives from local authorities, nine representatives from trade union organisations, six representatives from voluntary organisations, six representatives from local education authorities, five representatives from educational institutions, two representatives from local health authorities, two representatives from employers associations and two representatives from economic development bodies. Six chief executives are also board members.
TVEI
Mr. Spearing : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment, pursuant to his oral reply to the hon. Member for Clydebank and Milngavie (Mr. Worthington) of 22 May, Official Report, column 161, concerning the implementation of the technical and vocational education initiative, how much was allocated to the London borough of Newham for the current financial year ; and how much is indicated for 1991-92.
Mr. Eggar : Newham has been invited to start the extension of its technical and vocational education initiative this year. The precise amount available to it in 1990-91 will be subject to contract and detailed discussion is under way. The amount available for 1991-92 onwards will be reviewed annually so that it can be contained within available resources.
Mrs. Ray Michie : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment whether he intends to continue funding the technical and vocational education initiative in Scotland.
Mr. Eggar [holding answer 17 May 1990] : The Government are committed to TVEI and to extending it to all 14 to 18-year-olds in maintained schools and colleges throughout Great Britain.
Mr. Kennedy : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many 14 to 18-year-olds have participated in the technical and vocational education initiative within Highland region since its inception ; and what proposals have been submitted to him for participation in further projects.
Mr. Eggar [holding answer 24 May 1990] : Over 700 14 to 18- year-olds have participated so far in the TVEI pilot project in Highland region. A further 200 are due to participate in the next academic year. Highland will start extending TVEI to all 14 to 18-year-olds in its maintained schools and colleges later this year.
Mr. Kennedy : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what are the total moneys involved in the
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setting up and running of the technical and vocational education initiative in Highland region since inception ; what are the costs involved in evaluating, preparing and submitting any proposals for future projects ; what are the anticipated costs of such future projects ; and when he expects to be able to make an announcement with regard to future projects.Mr. Eggar [holding answer 24 May 1990] : By the end of March 1990, Highland had spent £1.2 million on the technical and vocational education initiative. The pilot initiative is still proceeding with £0.9 million planned to be spent by summer 1992. The education authority will begin the extension phase of TVEI in summer 1990. Highland is participating in the TVEI-funded modern language Scottish project and Scottish flexible learning project.
Age Discrimination
Mr. Andrew Bowden : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what steps he is taking to assess the impact on employers of his Department's encouragement not to discriminate against employees on the grounds of age.
Mr. Nicholls : My Department is using a number of means to monitor the effect of our policy of encouraging employers not to discriminate against employees on the grounds of age. A survey of vacancies notified to jobcentres was carried out in 1989 which showed a reduction, as against the previous year, in the number of vacancies specifying age limits. The Institute of Manpower Studies has recently conducted research, on behalf of my Department, into the employment and utilisation of older workers and will report shortly. Research was also carried out in support of the National Economic Development Office and Training Agency report, "Defusing the Demographic Time Bomb", which showed an encouraging number of employers are taking steps to widen their recruitment sources, including initiatives to attract mature workers.
Employment Training
Mr. Frank Field : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what was the level in money terms from the Government of funding granted to APEX, north-west region, for employment training from 1 April ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Nicholls : The information requested is confidential to the Training Agency and individual ET training managers.
Departmental Savings
Mr. Rooker : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what were the value-for-money savings in his Department's operations identified by internal audit and internal efficiency arrangements and by external audit and by management consultants retained by his Department between 1983-84 and 1988-89 ; and what is the amount of those savings fulfilled to date.
Mr. Eggar [holding answer 5 June 1990] : This information could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Mr. Rooker : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what mechanisms exist in his Department for identifying value-for-money savings in its operations.
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Mr. Eggar [holding answer 5 June 1990] : Mechanisms to identify and track value-for-money savings include internal audit ; follow-up of NAO reports ; reviews by management services ; external consultants ; policy evaluations ; efficiency scrutinies ; internal reviews ; energy efficiency ; and a purchasing co- ordination unit. In addition, since 1989-90, value-for-money savings on running costs have been identified in management plans for each part of my Department.I also expect the establishment of the employment service as an executive agency and of the training and enterprise council network to produce greater value for money in the delivery of my Department's objectives.
Workshops for the Blind
Mr. Parry : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment (1) how many workers are employed by workshops for the blind in England and Wales at the latest date ;
(2) what funding is made towards the upkeep of workshops for the blind in England and Wales ; and if he will make a statement ; (3) if he will list the workshops for the blind in England and Wales ; and if he will indicate how they are funded.
Mr. Eggar [holding answer 6 June 1990] : The employment service, which is responsible for the sheltered employment programme, became an executive agency on 2 April 1990. Mr. Mike Fogden, the employment service agency's chief executive, will be replying in writing to the hon. Member.
Mr. Parry : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will take steps to provide direct funding support for workshops for the blind.
Mr. Eggar [holding answer 6 June 1990] : There are no plans at this time to change the existing arrangements for the funding of sheltered workshops.
Mr. Parry : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what representations he has received on the threatened closure of the Birkenhead, Liverpool, workshops for the blind ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Eggar [holding answer 6 June 1990] : My Department has received representations from the National League of the Blind and Disabled about the decision by the management of the Liverpool Workshops and Birkenhead Society for the Blind to close their workshop from 1 October 1990. I understand that this decision was taken following the withdrawal of support for the workshop by one of the four sponsoring local authorities. Officials of the employment service are working closely with the sponsoring local authorities and with organisations involved in supporting sheltered employment in seeking to find suitable alternative employment for the workpeople affected.
Departmental Policies
Mr. Flynn : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will set out (a) the failures and (b) the successes of his Department's policies since May 1979.
Mr. Eggar [holding answer 4 May 1990] : Since May 1979 my Department's policies have met with considerable success. This can be illustrated by taking for example the fields of employment, training and industrial relations law.
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In the field of employment, policies to remove unnecessary restrictions and barriers from the labour market and to stimulate enterprise have helped create conditions under which employment can flourish. At over 27 million, the work force in employment now stands at its highest level ever and the number of self-employed has risen by 1.4 million since June 1979, after little change in the 1970s. In the training field, we have established ET, the largest adult training programme ever launched in this country, and YTS, which has provided high quality training to thousands of young people and will be further enhanced as the new youth training programme. We have built imaginative and effective links between the worlds of education and work through the technical and vocational education initiative (TVEI), compacts and the enterprise in higher education initiative. Our programme to give local employers responsibility for the design and delivery of training through a national network of training and enterprise councils (TECs) is some two years ahead of schedule. A further example of success is our step-by-step reform of industrial relations and trade union law. We have redressed the balance between management and unions, and helped make union leaders properly answerable to their members. It can be no coincidence that these reforms have coincided with a dramatic reduction in the number of working days lost because of industrial action. In the 1970s nearly 13 million working days were lost every year ; in the 12 months to February 1990 only 5 million working days were lost, and the number of stoppages in February was the lowest since 1933. I am satisfied that my Department's policies and programmes have generally proved sucessful. We keep them under review and are always looking for ways to improve their effectiveness.Lambeth Skill Centre
Mr. McLeish : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will make a statement on the sale of Lambeth skill centre to the Training Business Group ; what information he has on (a) access for transferred staff to trade unions, (b) proposed redundancies and (c) renegotiation of staff contracts ; and whether the Training Agency will meet the owners of the centre to discuss these issues.
Mr. Eggar [holding answer 5 June 1990] : The sale of the business at Lambeth skill centre to the Training Business was completed on 11 May. The centre is now in the private sector and issues relating to trade union recognition and any renegotiation of staff terms and conditions are matters for the new owners and their staff. However, I understand that a number of staff at the centre have volunteered for redundancy and I have no reason to believe that the Training Business will not meet its contractual obligations.
Energy Consumption
Mr. Dobson : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will give the number of energy audits carried out in his Department in the last five years and for each audit a statement of its main conclusions.
Mr. Eggar [holding answer 5 June 1990] : Over the past five years energy surveys have been undertaken on 171
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buildings. Because of the large number of surveys and the wide variety of recommendations it is not practical to list the main recommendations for each of the surveys.Implementation of the recommendations of the surveys has led to reduced consumption and cost savings.
Mr. Dobson : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will give the number of dedicated energy managers in his Department and the number of person years devoted to energy management in the latest year.
Mr. Eggar [holding answer 5 June 1990] : The Department does not have any full-time dedicated energy managers. Energy management forms part of the duties for those staff engaged in estate management. The total number of person years devoted to energy management in 1989-90 was four.
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Labour Statistics
Mr. Frank Field : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will estimate the numbers removed from the unemployment register since October 1989 as a result of (a) actively seeking work suspensions and disallowances, and (b) disqualifications for refusal of employment.
Mr. Eggar [holding answer 5 June 1990] : The employment service became an executive agency on 2 April 1990. Mr. Mike Fogden, the employment service agency's chief executive, will be replying in writing to the hon. Member.
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