---

Investors in People

Mr. Byers: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what steps her Department is taking to achieve investor in people status; when it started the process; when it expects to achieve investor in people status; and if she will make a statement. [2974]

Mr. Paice: The former Department of Employment and the former Department of Education were committed to becoming investors in people. The Department for Education and Employment is determined to achieve that status. An action plan is in preparation building on the work undertaken by the former Departments. No target date has yet been set.

Training

Mr. Byers: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what amount was spent on training by her Department per unemployed person for each year since 1989-90 in (a) cash terms and (b) real terms. [2969]

Mr. Paice: The information requested is as follows:

Year	Amount £	Real Terms(6) £
1985-86	140	220
1986-87	180	280
1987-88	220	320
1988-89	480	660
1989-90	980	1,260
1990-91	950	1,130
1991-92	560	630
1992-93	430	460
1993-94	500	520
1994-95	610	630

(6) 1995-96 prices.

30 Nov 1995 : Column: 852

Mr. John Greenway: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what changes will be made to the funding system for youth training and modern apprenticeships in 1996-97; and what plans she has to publish the results of the recent consultation on future funding arrangements. [3908]

Mr. Paice: No major changes are planned to the funding system for youth training and modern apprenticeships in 1996-97. A summary of the responses to the consultation document on future funding arrangements for youth training and modern apprenticeships was published on 24 November. Copies have been placed in the Library today.

Assisted Places Scheme

Mr. Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment, pursuant to her answer of 27 November, Official Report, column 445, if she will list for, respectively (a) Manchester grammar school (b) Manchester high school for girls and (c) William Hulme's grammar school, Manchester, how much has been spent by the Government on the assisted places scheme in total, (i) up to but not including the latest year and (ii) in the latest available year; and what additional money will be made available in the planned expansion of the scheme. [3269]

Mrs. Gillan: Information is readily available only for the last five years. The amounts spent on assisted places at each of the three Manchester schools cited for the academic years 1990-91 to 1994-95, and estimates for the latest academic year 1995-96, are given in the following table. Provision for the academic year 1996-97, when the scheme's expansion is planned to begin, and for succeeding years will be announced in due course.

30 Nov 1995 : Column: 853

Assisted Places Scheme

Academic year	Manchester Grammar School £000s	Manchester High School £000s	William Hulme's Grammar School £000s
1990-91 to 1994-95	3,459	2,173	3,059
1995-96(7)	816	566	746

(7) Estimated.

WALES

Student Hardship Funds

Mr. Barry Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many students made applications for hardship funds in (a) 1993 and (b) 1994; and if he will make a statement. [2658]

Mr. Richards: I refer the hon. Member to the reply given by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State to the hon. and learned Member for Montgomery (Mr. Carlile) on 29 November 1995, Official Report, column 755.

Small Firms

Mr. Barry Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what is his policy concerning small firms; and if he will make a statement. [2665]

Mr. Richards: The second competitiveness White Paper called "Forging Ahead", published in May 1995, outlined a programme of measures to assist the growth and competitiveness of the small firms sector.

The Welsh Office works with local authorities, training and enterprise councils, the development agencies and local enterprise agencies in providing a range of services for small businesses in Wales. We have established eight business development consortia--business connect--to streamline the assistance available and to make it easily accessible through a single low-cost, all-Wales telephone number. This service will be operational from 15 January 1996.

30 Nov 1995 : Column: 854

Non-departmental Public Bodies

Mr. Ron Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will list the powers transferred from non-departmental public bodies to local government in each of the last three years. [2916]

Mr. Hague: In October 1994, the responsibility for operating mid-Wales development grant; development of rural initiative, venture and enterprise (DRIVE) grant; rural (buildings) conversion grant and community enterprise grant was transferred to local authorities. In addition, from 1 April 1995 local authorities were given direct control of funds for social and economic development, previously provided in the form of grant assistance by the Development Board for Rural Wales under section 4.1. (d)(i) and (ii) of the Development of Rural Wales Act 1976.

Surplus Explosives (Disposal)

Mr. Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what records his Department holds regarding surplus stocks of conventional explosives brought from RAF Great Orton to Royal Ordnance establishments in Wales for disposal between 1946 to 1948; what current environmental monitoring is conducted by his Department on these disposal sites; and if he will list the locations of all land and off-shore sites in and around Wales used for such disposal. [3100]

Mr. Hague: The Welsh Office has no records or responsibilities in this area.

New Dwellings

Mr. Dafis: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will list for each district council area the number of houses built (a) by district councils, (b) by housing associations, (c) by other public bodies and (d) in total for each of the last three available years. [1852]

Mr. Gwilym Jones: The available information is given in the following table. Only one dwelling classified as "other public bodies" was built in the period: this has been included with the local authority number for Rhondda for 1992.

30 Nov 1995 : Column: 853

New dwellings completed Numbers

		1992				1993				1994
	Local authority	Housing association	All tenures(8)	Local authority	Housing association	All tenures(8)	Local authority	Housing association	All tenures(8)
Aberconwy	0	43	226	0	82	182	20	72	304
Alyn and Deeside	22	104	283	0	50	148	16	23	167
Arfon	20	13	108	0	74	214	0	79	143
Blaenau Gwent	0	104	237	0	0	67	0	25	101
Brecknock	0	43	121	0	21	80	0	71	139
Cardiff	6	496	1,188	0	420	934	0	385	1,258
Carmarthen	0	37	207	0	45	265	0	24	234
Ceredigion	0	0	277	0	0	315	0	12	230
Colwyn	0	93	337	0	12	161	0	36	308
Cynon Valley	0	66	198	0	66	237	0	36	177
Delyn	0	127	389	0	131	298	0	46	235
Dinefwr	0	60	267	6	107	227	0	7	105
Dwyfor	0	39	73	3	49	84	0	17	63
Glyndwr	0	30	168	0	22	148	0	25	78
Islwyn	0	50	110	0	54	94	0	0	51
Llanelli	0	0	117	31	0	197	45	6	232
Lliw Valley	0	97	144	0	22	94	0	72	120
Meirionnydd	0	21	79	0	27	59	0	32	115
Merthyr Tydfil	0	40	157	0	30	116	0	51	142
Monmouth	0	105	354	0	124	543	0	39	456
Montgomeryshire(9)	0	49	273	0	130	291	0	203	328
Neath	0	82	298	5	0	177	0	71	214
Newport	0	59	289	6	67	269	108	10	320
Ogwr	13	60	476	0	268	513	0	234	706
Port Talbot	0	72	179	0	43	193	0	60	132
Preseli Pembrokeshire	8	0	175	14	66	163	12	72	266
Radnor	28	10	111	0	63	175	6	38	157
Rhondda(10)	1	106	185	0	58	159	0	79	139
Rhuddlan	20	16	118	25	24	110	0	108	204
Rhymney Valley	0	1	304	0	87	198	0	38	120
South Pembrokeshire	0	14	280	0	22	153	0	95	347
Swansea	0	76	326	58	347	709	20	369	678
Taff-Ely	0	100	388	0	31	401	0	82	499
Torfaen	0	56	230	0	222	439	0	105	263
Vale of Glamorgan	16	94	395	24	32	420	0	41	358
Wrexham Maelor	0	97	479	0	56	399	0	200	524
Ynys Mon	0	0	103	0	1	58	0	0	56

Source: Local Authority Returns. Notes:

(8) Includes completions in the Private sector.

(9)Montgomeryshire includes new town completions.

(10) The local authority figure for 1992 includes one Government Department completion.

30 Nov 1995 : Column: 855

30 Nov 1995 : Column: 855

---