§ Mr. Goldingasked the Secretary of State for Employment how many applications have been approved for grants under the job splitting scheme; how much has been spent on advertising the scheme; and whether he will make a statement.
§ Mr. AlisonSo far 149 applications have been approved under the job splitting scheme. The costs of media advertising of the scheme amount to £338,500. Substantial interest has been shown in the scheme and over 9,000 enquiries have been received. It was anticipated that takeup would be slow in the early days of the scheme as employers review their working arrangements and find eligible recruits who are interested in part-time work. We are monitoring the scheme closely.