asked the Secretary of State for Employment what proportion of the additional places which have been made available under the community programme will be specifically earmarked for local energy action projects.

We asked the Manpower Services Commission in the autumn to ensure that, wherever possible, a high priority is given to proposals for funding energy conservation projects under the community programme. The expansion of the programme by 100,000 places to 230,000 places provides the opportunity for a further significant increase in the number of these projects.