§ Mr. LyonsTo ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment his Department has made of the impact of the new deal on long-term unemployment. [59649]
§ Mr. Nicholas BrownSince 1997, the number of people unemployed for one year or more has been cut by nearly three quarters. The new deals have played an important part in this success.
By the end of March 2002, the new deal for young people had helped over 360,000 young people off benefit and into work. Independent research by the National Institute for Economic and Social Research found that the number of young people unemployed for six months or more would be twice as high without the new deal. It also found that the new deal had increased youth employment and had a positive knock-on effect on employment among other age groups.
New deal 25 plus has helped over 100,000 long-term unemployed people into work. In April 2001, we launched an enhanced new deal 25 plus programme, providing a more flexible, more individually-tailored service for long-term unemployed people. Since then, the number of people aged 25 and over unemployed for 18 months or more has fallen by almost 30 per cent.