§ 59. Mr. Patrick ThompsonTo ask the Secretary of State for Employment what assessment he has made of the extent to which the enterprise allowance scheme provides value for money in creating new jobs; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. CopeBoth the IBBs efficiency unit and the National Audit Office have in recent reports endorsed the scheme as a value-for-money employment measure. The net cost per person who leaves the unemployed register is £1,846. This figure takes into account flow backs in the form of tax, national insurance and savings in benefit and the effects of deadweight and displacement, but excludes administration costs. Latest survey evidence shows that 65 per cent. of those who complete a full year on the scheme are still trading two years after the allowance has ended, and that for every 100 businesses continuing at this three year point, 114 additional jobs have been created.
§ 103. Mr. BrightTo ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will make a statement on the progress of the enterprise allowance scheme.
§ Mr. NichollsA total of 446,000 people have started their own business under the enterprise allowance scheme since it began in 1982. Some 84,000 people are currently in receipt of the allowance.