HC Deb 11 June 1998 vol 313 cc1188-9
12. Laura Moffatt (Crawley)

What plans he has to help unemployed people over the age of 25 years move from benefits into work. [43767]

The Minister for Employment, Welfare to Work and Equal Opportunities (Mr. Andrew Smith)

On 29 June, the new deal for those aged 25 and over who have been out of work for more than two years will get under way across the country. That will be another manifesto promise kept. In addition, in November we shall start pilot programmes bringing more intensive help to those who have been out of work for 18 months or a year. We have also introduced five prototype employment zones, which began in February.

Laura Moffatt

Does the Minister agree that the extra £100 million for the long-term unemployed will help my constituent Maureen Wells? She has been a carer since she was a newly wed and now wishes to take her place in the work force, but she must have her self-esteem and employability improved. Will the new deal partnership help her and give her the time to sort herself out so that she may take her rightful place in full employment?

Mr. Smith

Yes, indeed. A very important feature—and, according to the evidence so far, a very effective feature—of the new deal is that unemployed people are receiving personal counselling with the continuity of support that a dedicated personal adviser can provide, coupled with access to a range of specialist advice and help, including training courses. That support will be available for the long-term unemployed under the new deal which starts on 29 June and under the pilots, which have been announced for November and to which my hon. Friend referred.

Mr. Nigel Evans (Ribble Valley)

Will the Minister do two things for unemployed people over 25 who live in the Ribble Valley? First, will he congratulate Skillshare—an organisation of volunteers and others who provide education for the over-25s, among others, and allows people to share their skills with the unemployed so that they have a better chance of education or employment? Secondly, will he contact Lancashire county council, because that Labour-controlled authority is stopping the £26,000 in funding for Skillshare? The organisation will close at the end of the month unless the county council continues that funding, which is essential for the unemployed in my area.

Mr. Smith

I join the hon. Gentleman in congratulating organisations such as Skillshare and other voluntary and community bodies that are dedicated to the education and training needs of the unemployed. They certainly need support, and they are getting it through the new deal.

As to the hon. Gentleman's second point, I shall ensure that the new deal partnership in his area—which is almost certainly already in contact with Skillshare—investigates what means might be found to make sure that the invaluable services that Skillshare provides will continue to be available to local unemployed people.

Mr. Mike Gapes (Ilford, South)

The Minister referred to pilot schemes for those who have been unemployed for a long time. Is he aware that many people who have suffered long-term unemployment have complex personal problems and difficulties? For example, many of them do not have great levels of literacy. Will the Minister ensure that assistance is given to people with literacy difficulties to help them enter a technological and increasingly information-based employment market?

Mr. Smith

Yes. The assessment of the basic skills help that people need is an important feature of the gateway in the pilots which will begin in November. It is crucial that appropriate, effective and high-quality courses are available for the older and long-term unemployed as well as for the young unemployed so that they may achieve those skills that are a key component of employability and can do so much to enhance their prospects of gaining rewarding work.

Mr. Damian Green (Ashford)

Why are the Government providing relatively less help for the unemployed who are over 25, when all the evidence shows that they are much more likely to need help to find work? Does that not suggest a gap between pious rhetoric of the policy and policy itself, which is dictated largely by short-term presentational gimmicks?

Mr. Smith

First, I congratulate the hon. Gentleman on his appointment to the Front Bench.

The priorities that we set out in introducing the new deal for the young unemployed and the new deal for the long-term unemployed reflect what we said and, indeed, go beyond what we promised in our manifesto. We cannot forget that youth unemployment runs at well over twice the level of unemployment across the rest of the work force.

Everyone knows the particular damage to young people and to the community at large that is inflicted by exclusion from the opportunities and the responsibilities of work at an older age, but our new deal programmes are designed to provide the right assistance, right across the age range. As well as offering counselling and continuity of support from a personal adviser, the new deal for the long-term unemployed offers a £75 a week subsidy for the first six months of employment for someone who has been out of work for more than two years, and the opportunity to be educated or to train for up to a year. It really is a new deal for the long-term unemployed. The public will ask the hon. Gentleman why the previous Government did nothing about that.