asked the Paymaster General how many people who would otherwise have been claimants for unemployment benefit have been engaged on Government training schemes in each successive year since 1979.

Since 1979 the numbers of young people in training on YTS are as follows:

For The Financial Year
	Number
1979–80	100,700
1980–81	160,900
1981–82	226,100
1982–83	257,942
1983–84	287,485
1984–85	286,830
1985–86	283,391

Some of these trainees may have had employee status and it cannot be assumed that they were all unemployed.Since 1979 the numbers of people on Training Opportunities Schemes were as follows:

For The Financial Year
	Number
1979–80	90,700
1980–81	82,600
1981–82	71,200
1982–83	72,600
1983–84	80,100
1984–85	87,700

The vast majority of these people were unemployed but it cannot be assumed that if they were not an a TOPS course they would otherwise have claimed unemployment benefit. During the 1985–86 financial year there were 210,900 adult training starts, approximately 67,700 of this total were unemployed.The forecast starts for adult training in 1986–87 were 327,900 with approximately 153,900 unemployed.