§ Mr. AllanTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how many people have started(a) the employment option, (b) the environmental task force option, (c) the voluntary sector option and (d) the full-time education and training option of the New Deal for 18 to 24 year olds since implementation, by unit of delivery; and how many left for (i) unsubsidised employment, (ii) other benefits, (iii) other known destinations and (iv) unknown destinations at the latest date for which figures are available. [151573]
§ Ms Jowell[holding answer 27 February 2001]: Starts to each of the New Deal options by Unit of Delivery for the period ending December 2000 and, for the same period, destinations on leaving New Deal either directly from an option or after a period on Follow Through, are contained in tables, copies of which have been placed in the Library.
Of those who have left the New Deal having taken part in an option (including leavers from the follow through stage of the programme), 31 per cent. are recorded as having found work. We know that many others will have left the programme for employment without telling the Employment Service—these people are not included in this figure. The most recent Government survey into unknown destinations, published in January 2001, concluded that the known destinations were representative of unknown destinations. Using this evidence we calculate that 46 per cent. of option participants entered work on leaving New Deal. Work is ongoing to improve the recording of option outcomes so that the raw data better reflect true performance. The cumulative figures mask the fact that all Option performance has steadily improved over the last year.