§ 21. Mr. Alan Howarthasked the Paymaster General if he will make a statement on the progress of the restart scheme.
§ 45. Mr. Chapmanasked the Paymaster General if he will make a statement about the progress of the restart scheme for the long-term jobless.
§ Mr. Kenneth ClarkeI refer the hon. Member and my hon. Friends to my reply to the hon. Member for Burnley (Mr. Pike) earlier today.
§ 27. Mr. Lilleyasked the Paymaster General what is the number of those invited to attend the restart scheme in the St. Albans and Harpenden area who have subsequently signed off the unemployment register.
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§ Mr. Kenneth ClarkeThe number of those invited to a restart interview up to 9 October who subsequently ceased to claim benefit as unemployed in the St. Albans, Harpenden and Borehamwood area, is 159. People cease to claim unemployment benefits for a variety of reasons and it is not possible to say how many of these took up, for example, employment, self-employment or training.
§ 52. Mr. Strangasked the Paymaster General how many people have been interviewed for the restart scheme; and what is his estimate of the number likely to be interviewed by 31 December.
§ Mr. Kenneth ClarkeBy 9 October 1986, 366,451 people had been interviewed as part of restart. It is likely that by 31 December the total will have risen to about 650,000.
§ 63. Mr. Marlowasked the Paymaster General what has been the reduction in the numbers of those claiming benefit arising from the restart programme.
§ Mr. Kenneth ClarkeIt is impossible to estimate what proportion of those long term unemployed people who have ceased to claim benefit in recent months have done so because of the restart programme.
§ 66. Ms. Clare Shortasked the Paymaster General how many people have been interviewed under the restart programme; and how many have obtained permanent jobs as a result.
§ Mr. Kenneth ClarkeBy 9 October 1986, 366,451 people had been interviewed. We do not know how many have obtained permanent jobs as a result. Some have been placed as a direct result of their restart interview, but many others have found jobs after taking up one or other of the opportunities offered at the restart interview such as jobclubs or training courses.
§ 40. Mr. Kirkwoodasked the Paymaster General if he will make a statement on the number of people who have secured employment as a result of the restart scheme.
§ Mr. Kenneth ClarkeWe have no means of knowing. Some people have been placed in jobs as a direct result of their restart interview, but many others have found jobs after taking up one or other of the opportunities offered at the restart interview such as jobclubs or training courses.
§ 41. Mr. Wainwrightasked the Paymaster General how many people have had benefit suspended for failure to attend restart interviews; how many of these have appealed; and how many have had benefit restarted as a result of appeal.
§ Mr. Kenneth ClarkeThis information is not available in the precise form asked for, but as at 9 October 1986 the number of people who had benefit disallowed by independent adjudication officers as a result of failure to attend a restart interview was 3,873.
Records for the number of appeals to a social security appeal tribunal are not available.
§ 42. Mr. Silvesterasked the Paymaster General if he will make a statement on the success rate of the restart programme in the North-West.
§ Mr. Kenneth ClarkeI refer my hon. Friend to the reply that I gave earlier today to the hon. Member for Burnley (Mr. Pike). By 9 October 74,134 people in the north-west region had been interviewed under the restart programme.
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§ 72. Mr. Nellistasked the Paymaster General how many unemployed people in Coventry will be interviewed under the restart programme.
§ Mr. Kenneth ClarkeFigures are not available for Coventry. However in Coventry and Warwickshire as a whole we estimate that between 20,000 and 25,000 long term unemployed people will have been interviewed by the end of March.