HC Deb 05 June 2000 vol 351 c47W
Mr. Barry Jones

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what recent discussions he has had with the First Secretary concerning the New Deal in Wales, with particular reference to(a) the under 25s, (b) the over 25s and (c) the over 50s; and if he will make a statement. [116234]

Mr. Paul Murphy

I have regular meetings with the First Secretary and discuss a range of issues including the New Deal.

  1. (a) The New Deal for Young People (18–24 year olds) has been making excellent progress in Wales. Latest figures show that over 12,700 young people have now secured employment from the New Deal (of which 9,500 have been sustained for over 13 weeks) and nearly 8,000 young people are currently still on the programme.
  2. (b) The New Deal for 25 plus (Long Term Unemployed) has been making steady progress since its launch in June 1998. At the latest count (end of December 1999) nearly 2,300 people had secured employment and over 4,800 are currently still on the programme.
  3. (c) The New Deal for 50 plus is currently still in the pilot phase with nine "Pathfinder" areas across the UK (Flintshire and Wrexham in Wales). Full nation-wide implementation is scheduled to start on 3 April 2000.