The Jobstart Scheme (Hansard, 13 March 1986)

§ Baroness Fisher of Rednal
My Lords, I beg leave to ask the Question standing in my name on the Order Paper.

§ The Secretary of State for Employment (Lord Young of Graffham)
My Lords, in the nine weeks to 7th March 14,363 invitations to attend in-depth interviews at jobcentres were issued to long-term unemployed people in the nine pilot areas; 10,507 interviews have been held and some 80 per cent. of those interviewed have agreed to follow up a positive opportunity as a result.

§ Baroness Fisher of Rednal
My Lords, is the Minister satisfied with those results? Is the Minister aware that there is a slight worry that perhaps the idea of the exercise not only was to offer job opportunities to people but was a back-door method of finding out whether people were genuinely unemployed?

§ Lord Young of Graffham
My Lords, I thought that everyone in your Lordships' House would be concerned on both counts: to ensure first that all long-term unemployed people get as much help and assistance as they can, and secondly, that they are genuinely unemployed. This measure in itself is there to determine what help we can give to long-term unemployed people.

§ Lord Mottistone
My Lords, is my noble friend aware that his remarks are most encouraging? Can he give us some idea of when he is going to be able to extend the scheme more widely, because it seems to be an excellent plan for a very necessary problem?

§ Lord Young of Graffham
My Lords, we announced a pilot scheme which started on 6th January, and we are studying the results as we go along.

§ Lord Stoddart of Swindon
My Lords, did the noble Lord see the report in the Guardian this morning which seemed to say that the operation had been low-key, and that many benefit offices were refusing to involve themselves in the scheme and operate the scheme because of the implications involved? Can he comment on that? Can he also tell the House how many employers, if any, have taken up the £20 a week subsidy which has been offered under the jobstart scheme?

§ Lord Young of Graffham
My Lords, I regret to say that, perhaps exceptionally, the report in the Guardian was totally erroneous. It referred to the job-starts for the whole of the pilot schemes as if they applied throughout the country and drew conclusions from that that could not be sustained. For example, it said that 100,000 people had not turned up to attend interviews, which indeed would be surprising considering we issued only 14,000 invitations. There are many other details like that. In fact, no benefit offices or jobcentres have refused to co-operate in the pilot schemes which are for the help of long-term unemployed people. It is open to anyone in your Lordships' House to visit one of the jobcentres or the benefit offices, and you could not fail to be impressed, as I am, by the great spirit there in finding genuine help for the long-term unemployed. So far as the jobstart allowance is concerned, by the 7th March 695 we had received 121 applications, and of these 80 have been accepted and 35 rejected.

§ Lord Hatch of Lusby
My Lords, the noble Lord has given a lot of figures. There is one he has not given. In these nine pilot schemes can he tell us how many long-term unemployed there are? From that number, what is the percentage of those who have been asked for interviews and have accepted the propositions put to them?

§ Lord Young of Graffham
My Lords, I can certainly let your Lordships' House have details of numbers from memory. I believe that the total number of long-term unemployed within the 9 pilot areas is in the order of 35,000. I shall certainly write to the noble Lord with the figure if that is incorrect. Of that some 80 per cent. of those interviewed—that is 14,300—have agreed to follow up a positive opportunity as a result. Many of those have gone on the re-start programme, some are going to join job clubs, others are interviewing for jobs, and still others are interviewing for places on the community programme. Many different opportunities are available. It is a pilot scheme and we are following it through. I do not think I should make a formal report to your Lordships' House in answer to a Question but find some other suitable occasion for it.

§ Lord Rochester
My Lords, following that response will the Government publish information on a regular basis in the Department of Employment Gazette on monthly unemployment statistics, or in some other suitable way, giving an indication of the number of people taking part in the jobstart scheme and other similar schemes?

§ Lord Young of Graffham
My Lords, I shall find a suitable method of ensuring that that information becomes known in due course.

§ Lord Nugent of Guildford
My Lords, in the light of that encouraging start does my noble friend intend to spread this scheme generally throughout the country?

§ Lord Young of Graffham
My Lords, the purpose of a pilot is to study the results. Once we have studied the results we shall see what to do then.

§ Baroness Fisher of Rednal
My Lords, one has to say that the noble Lord has this afternoon given us what he thinks are good results—he gave us the figures. Does he accept that these good results should now be showing in the inner cities, particularly those with the greatest unemployment, such as the West Midlands?

§ Lord Young of Graffham
My Lords, what we are finding through these pilots is the best way to help long-term unemployed. We have seen some interesting results from them and we are now studying the results urgently to find how we can spread them as soon as we can. We shall not waste one day in doing so. We will find ways of helping long-term unemployed people whether they live in rural areas or in inner cities.