§ Mr. Alan HowarthTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what is her estimate of(a) the number gaining and (b) the cost of extending the period during which income support is payable to a young person who has left local authority accommodation provided under part III of the Children Act 1989 to (i) 13 weeks, (ii) 26 weeks and (iii) the relevant child benefit extension period. [15077]
§ Mr. ForthThe jobseeker's allowance—JSA—replaced income support for jobseekers on 7 October 1996. We do not have information on the number of young people—16 and 17-year-olds—who claim JSA immediately after leaving local authority care. These people may be entitled to JSA for up to eight weeks. When this period finishes, a young person may apply for JSA on the ground that he would otherwise be in severe hardship. If the claim is successful, the Secretary of State will direct that JSA should be paid for a specific period—usually eight weeks. This direction may be renewed at the Secretary of State's discretion. At all times the young person will have to meet the entitlement conditions for JSA.