asked the Secretary of State for Employment whether he is proposing that the review recently undertaken by the Manpower Services Commission of its special programmes will be published or otherwise circulated to scheme sponsors.

I am informed by the Manpower Services Commission that its recent review was essentially an internal operation to help it prepare recommendations about the future size and shape of special programmes and the conditions under which they should operate. Decisions about the operation of special programmes in 1979–80 will be announced shortly.The Commission intends to publish a statement covering progress during the first year of operation of the programmes which ends on 31 March 1979.