§ Mr. RooneyTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how many claimants have been referred to project work in each quarter since April 1996; and how many of these have had their benefit cut for (i) two weeks and (ii) four weeks for failure to attend or complete their work placement. [21519]
§ Mr. Alan Howarth[holding answer 18 December 1997]: Responsibility for the subject of the question has been delegated to the Employment Service agency under it's Chief Executive. I have asked him to arrange for a reply to be given.
Letter from Leigh Lewis to Mr. Terry Rooney, dated 13 January 1998.
As the Employment Service is an Executive Agency, the Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your question about the number of individuals referred to Project Work in each quarter since April 1996; and how many of these have had their benefit cut for (i) two weeks and (ii) four weeks, for failure to attend or complete their work placement. This is something that falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as Chief Executive of the Agency. I would like to apologise to you for the delay in supplying the information you have asked for.Unfortunately, information is not available in precisely the format you have requested. Statistics on referrals to the work experience element of Project Work—as opposed to starts on this element of the programme—were not collected for the original pilots in Hull and Medway and Maidstone which began in April 1996, and it is not now possible to collect this information retrospectivelyHowever, the figures in Table 1 set out the number of starts on the work experience element of Project Work and the number of cases referred for adjudication for refusal and failure to attend Project Work in the two pilot areas. The figures do not include people who left the register between being referred to the work experience element of Project Work and their planned date of starting. The first referrals to the work experience element of Project Work were not made until 22 July 1996.
Table 1 Quarter ending Number of jobseekers who started project work Number of jobseekers referred to adjudication September 1996 658 44 December 1996 1,315 229 March 1997 1,152 223 Statistics on referrals to the work experience element of Project Work were collected for the extended pilots and I am therefore able to supply you with the number of people referred to the work experience element of Project Work from 1 April 1997. This information is contained in Table 2 below. Although the extended pilots started in February 1997 referrals to the work experience element in these areas did not begin until July 1997. The figures in Table 2 for the June quarter relate, therefore, only to Hull and Medway and Maidstone where Project Work was already in operation.
Table 2 Quarter ending Number of Jobseekers who were referred to Project Work June 1997 1,482 September 1997 13,727 December 1997 15,726 With the introduction of the extended Project Work Pilots separate figures for referrals to adjudication resulting from referrals to Project Work were not collected. Information on the total number of Adjudication Officers' decisions and opinions and disallowance rates relating to all government employment training programmes is 178W contained in a published document entitled "Analysis of Adjudication Officers' Decisions". This provides information on all the labour market entitlement and sanction questions arising on claims. The latest information available is up to September 1997. Copies of this document are held in the Library of the House.Table 3 contains the number of sanctions and disallowances imposed and opinions given from the introduction of JSA in October 1996 for:
- giving up a place on a training scheme or employment programme;
- refusal of a place on a training scheme or employment programme;
- neglect to avail of a place on a training scheme or employment programme;
- failure to attend on a training scheme or employment programme; and
- losing a place on a training scheme or employment programme through misconduct.
Schemes and programmes included in this definition are Jobplan Workshops, Restart Courses, Workwise, Worklink and Project Work. Employment Service statistics do not identify the number of sanctions relating to each programme, nor do they differentiate between tow and four week sanctions or disallowances.
Table 3 Quarter ending Sanctions and disallowances imposed and opinions given December 1996 5,193 March 1997 12,284 June 1997 10,961 September 1997 11,294 I hope this is helpful.
§ Mr. RooneyTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what have been the destinations of(a) claimants leaving or completing project work and (b) claimants in the selected control areas broken down to show those (i) in full-time employment, (ii) in self-employment, (iii) in part-time employment, (iv) in full-time education or training course, (v) on another Government programme, (vi) unemployed and claiming jobseekers's allowance, (vii) unemployed and not claiming benefit, (viii) in receipt of another benefit and (ix) doing something else. [21517]
§ Mr. Alan Howarth[holding answer 18 December 1997]: Responsibility for the subject of the question has been delegated to the Employment Service agency under its Chief Executive. I have asked him to arrange for a reply to be given.
Letter from Leigh Lewis to Mr. Terry Rooney, dated 13 January 1998:
As the Employment Service is an Executive Agency, the Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your question about the destinations of (a) individuals leaving or completing Project Work and (b) individuals in the selected control areas broken down to show those (i) in full-time employment, (ii) in self-employment, (iii) in part-time employment, (iv) in full-time education or training course, (v) on another Government programme, (vi) unemployed and claiming Jobseeker's Allowance, (vii) unemployed and not claiming benefit, (viii) in receipt of another benefit and (ix) doing something else. This is something that falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as Chief Executive of the Agency. I would like to apologise to you for the delay in supplying the information you have asked for.Unfortunately, information is not available in precisely the format you have requested. Information on the destinations of Project Work participants at a national level is given in Tables 1 and 2. The figures 179W refer to the period July-November 1997. Information on the two Project Work pilots in Hull and Medway and Maidstone is given in Table 3 for the period March 1996–June 1997.It may help if I explain that before entering the work experience element of Project Work, clients are given a Restart Interview following by a 13 week period of intensive job search help. During this time, participants are offered the full range of programmes available to long-term unemployed people, as well as a number of interviews with an adviser. If the person is still unemployed at the end of this period of intensive help, they are required to attend a 13 week period of work experience. This is intended to focus on the participant's job goals and work experience that is of benefit to the local community.Project Work was initially piloted in two locations during 1996–97, and was expanded subsequently to cover 31 locations. There are no selected control areas for expanded Project Work.I hope this is helpful.PROJECT WORK
Table 1: Outcomes from 13 week period of intensive job search help: (from Restart Interview to work experience referral
interview): July 1997-November 1997
Jobs1 Training for Work (TfW) Transfers to other benefits 5,224 2,210 2,353 1 ES placings including full-time, part-time and self-employed vacancies.
Table 2: Outcomes from 13 week period of work experience: July 1997-November 1997 Jobs1 Full time education Full time Training/TfW 1,210 39 259 1 This includes full-time and part-time employment and self-employed.
Table 3: Outcomes from the Project Work Pilots: March 1996-June 1997 Jobs Full time education and training Other benefit Other reasons Pilots 761 87 409 444 Control 424 79 188 235