asked the Paymaster General what percentage of 16-year-old school leavers in Kirklees metropolitan borough council area embark on YTS courses broken down into (a) girls, (b) boys and (c) all.

The Manpower Services Commission estimates that 62 per cent. of 16-year-old school leavers entered the YTS in Kirklees local education authority area in 1985–86. The equivalent figure for girls was 55 per cent. and boys 67 per cent.

asked the Paymaster General what percentage of 16-year-old (a) girls, (b) boys and (c) all school leavers attend YTS broken down by region or AMB area in each of the last four years.

Information is not currently available in the form requested. I shall write to the hon. Member when the information has been collected and collated.Mr. Sheerman asked the Paymaster General what percentage of 16-year-old

The table shows estimates by the Manpower Services Commission of the number of 16-year-old school leaver entrants to YTS in the years 1983–84, 1984–85 and 1985–86 expressed as a percentage of the number of 16-year-old school leavers. Figures for 1986–87 are not yet available.

asked the Paymaster General what measures have been taken since 1985 to reduce the under-occupancy of youth training scheme places.

Since the introduction of YTS in 1983 the MSC has established a well structured and organised planning process which is continually refined in the light of experience to achieve an appropriate mix of places and provision for each particular year.Flexibility of provision, however, is an essential feature of a demand-led scheme and is always needed to meet the guarantee to unemployed 16 and 17-year-olds, to provide a choice of places for young people and to cater for the needs of special groups.

asked the Paymaster General what representations he has received regarding the cost of meals for YTS trainees.

asked the Paymaster General if he will give, from the survey of youth training scheme providers last reported to the meeting of the Manpower Services Commission's youth training board the number and proportion of managing agents who deploy, per 100 trainees (a) fewer than three, (b) three to five, (c) six to eight, (d) nine to 11, (e) 12 to 14 and (f) more than 14

I have received two representations concerning meals for YTS trainees. The weekly training allowance payable to YTS trainees is intended to cover normal living expenses, including meals.

asked the Paymaster General if he will give, from the survey of the YTS providers last reported to the Manpower Services Commission's youth training board, the number and proportion of trainees who are (a) one-year trainees only, (b) apprentices or other long-term trainees, and (c) employees; and how these figures have changed since 1985.

The information is not available in the form requested. The most recent information is from the YTS providers survey conducted in January-February 1986. This survey showed that 9 per cent. (23,800) of trainees were apprentices or long-term trainees and 14 per cent. (37,000) were employees. Some young people were apprentices with employee status.Figures for 1985 are not available.

asked the Paymaster General if he will gave the proportion of youth training scheme leavers going to the following destinations for each available month of the 15 per cent. leavers sample and for each of the previous sample (a) full-time work with the same employer, (b) full-time work with a different employer, (c) part-time work, (d) full-time college or training course, (e) back to school, (f) on another youth training scheme, (g) claimant unemployed and (h) other; and if he will show for each survey: (i) the proportion of respondents who had left the scheme early and (ii) the usable percentage response rate.

The figures are not available in the form requested.The available results from the surveys of leavers between April 1983 and March 1985 are as follows:full-time equivalent staff in managing, administering and providing off-the-job training for their scheme; and how these figures have changed over the last two years.

The information is not available in precisely the form requested. The most recent survey of YTS providers conducted in January-February 1986 shows that 44 per cent. (2,400) of scheme managing agents and sponsors had up to 10, 13 per cent. (700) had between 10 and 15 and 43 per cent. (2,400) had in excess of 15 full-time equivalent staff per 100 trainees engaged in management and off-the-job training.Comparable figures for earlier periods are not available.

asked the Paymaster General if he will give, from the survey of youth training scheme providers last reported to the meeting of the Manpower Services Commission's youth training board, the number and proportion of managing agents and sponsors who require prospective trainees to have one or more O-levels; and how these figures have changed over the last two years.

The most recent survey of YTS providers conducted in January-February 1986 showed that 18 per cent. (1,000) of schemes required trainees to have a minimum of one O-level pass.A similar survey conducted in June-August 1984 showed that 22 per cent. (1,300) of managing agents or sponsors required at least one O-level pass.

asked the Paymaster General if he will give, from the survey of youth training scheme leavers last reported to the meeting of the youth training board, the number and proportion of work experience placements provided in each of the industrial categories used in the survey, and in each of the occupational training facilities, together with the comparable figures for two years ago.

The following table shows results from the most recent survey of TYS providers conducted in January-February 1986 and the previous survey conducted in June-August 1984.

asked the Paymaster General to what factors he attributes the current under-occupancy of youth training scheme places.

Flexibility in the provision and take-up of YTS places will always be required if the scheme is to meet the needs of all those who are involved. The current level of occupancy is in line with the normal annual pattern of contracting and filling of places. There were over 320,000 young people in training on YTS at the end of February 1987.

asked the Paymaster General if he will take steps to ensure that monitoring of youth training schemes is adequate to prevent managing agents getting into arrears with trainees' allowances.

The Manpower Services Commission already has staff in its area offices whose purpose is to ensure good and correct practice in the spending of public money on YTS including the trainees' allowances.These staff carry out financial monitoring visits to managing agents to ensure that they operate sound financial systems and controls. In the course of these visits, managing agents' records are examined to ensure that allowances are being paid correctly and on time. Additionally, a selection of trainees are interviewed to verify that their allowances are being paid properly.The depth and frequency of monitoring is determined by the managing agents' past and present performance in fulfilling the terms of their contracts with the Manpower Services Commission.

asked the Paymaster General if he will give, from the survey of youth training scheme leavers last reported to the meeting of the youth training board, the number and proportion of managing agents and sponsors who sub-contract (i) no, (ii) some and (iii) all work experience placements to other employers and providers together with the comparable figures for two years ago.

This information is available from the survey of YTS providers conducted in January-February 1986 and June-August 1984. The table gives the proportion and number of YTS schemes in which none, some and all of the work experience placements are subcontracted.

asked the Paymaster General if he will give, from the survey of youth training scheme providers last reported to the meeting of the Manpower Services Commission's youth training board, the number and proportion of schemes that accept(a) all applicants, (b) more than three quarters of all applicants, (c) more than half of all applicants and (d) more than a quarter of all applicants, respectively, together with the comparable figures for two years ago.

Information is not available in precisely the form requested. The table gives the proportion and number of schemes accepting trainees. This information is drawn from surveys of YTS providers conducted in January-February 1986 and June-August 1984.

asked the Paymaster General how many young people in training on the youth training scheme are estimated to be employees on current year schemes; how

asked the Paymaster General if he will publish, for each area office of the Manpower Services Commission, current accident figures for the youth training scheme in the following form (a) for the area for each of the last three available months, together with the figures for the previous year, (b) by travel-to-work area for the last available month, together with the figures for the previous year, (c) by parliamentary constituency for the last available month, together with the figures for the previous year and (d) by local authority for the last available month, together with the figures for the previous year.

The table shows the number of young people recorded by the Manpower Services Commission as employees starting on YTS in each of the years 1983–84, 1984–85 and 1985–86. No information is yet available on the number of employees starting on the two-year scheme.

asked the Paymaster General if he will publish the 1986 incidence of major and fatal accidents to trainees on the youth training schemes, together with the figures for the two previous years and the figures thus far for 1987.

The following tables set out the annual incidence rates per 100,000 trainees on YTS for fatal and major accidents. Table (a) gives figures for 1984 and 1985. Table (b) gives figures for 1986. It should be noted that the two tables cannot be directly compared in respect of major injuries. Up to 31 March 1986 major injuries 'were classified according to the severity criteria laid down in the Notification of Accidents and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 1980. From 1 April 1986 major injuries are classified according to the severity criteria laid down in the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 1985. This has had the effect of reclassifying some accidents from the minor category into the major category. Accident figures for the first quarter of 1987 are not yet available.

Youth training scheme accident statistics are collected quarterly and relate to areas covered by Manpower Services Commission offices. Figures for October 1985 to December 1986 are given in the following tables. Comprehensive information is not available for travel-to-work areas, parliamentary constituencies or local authority districts and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.