§ Mr. Llew SmithTo ask the Secretary of State for Employment what evaluation he has made of the options for introducing a workfare system for unemployed people aged between 18 and 24 years.
§ Mr. Michael Forsyth"Workfare" is usually taken to mean large-scale, all-embracing compulsory work schemes. The Government do not believe that there can be a single approach to meeting the needs of unemployed people and therefore they reject "workfare" schemes. The more effective approach is to target the individual needs of particular groups and help them back into work. That is why the Government introduced in April two new pilot schemes designed to help 18 to 24-year-olds who have been unemployed for over a year to get back to work. The pilots are: Workwise, a four week personal development and jobsearch course; and 1–2–1, a series of individual advisory interviews. Both pilots are mandatory for people who have declined all other offers of help.