asked Her Majesty's Government:What percentage of youth training schemes has been financed by the European Social Fund in each of the last five years; and whether they are satisfied that the general public is aware of this contribution from the European Community to training schemes in the United Kingdom.

A small number of applications is made each year to the European Commission for European Social Fund assistance for the YTS in the relevant priority areas. It is not, therefore, possible to say exactly how many individual schemes have received such assistance. The amount of social fund assistance received by the United Kingdom over the four years that YTS has been fully operational is:

1984	£138 million
1985	£93.7 million
1986	£107.8 million
1987	£155.3 million

Although the MSC does acknowledge in its annual report the assistance given to its programmes by the social fund, officials in the Department of Employment and Manpower Services Commission are currently working at ways in which this can be improved still further.