§ Mr. Jim CunninghamTo ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will make a statement on the StepUp Programme announced on 28 November 2001; what progress it has made; and what plans there are to extend it to the whole of the United Kingdom. [29842]
§ Mr. Nicholas Brown[holding answer 28 January 2002]: StepUp, which will be launched in April, builds on the IINew Deals by providing transitional jobs to act as a stepping stone for long-term unemployed people moving from benefits into work.
Officials are currently working on the detail of the pilots in readiness for the April launch. The first six StepUp pilots will start in April in parts of Cardiff, East Ayrshire, Lambeth, Oldham, Sheffield and Sunderland. A further 14 pilots, including one in Coventry, South, will start throughout the rest of the year. We will thoroughly evaluate the pilots before any decision is taken about a national roll-out of StepUp.