§ Mr. Maddenasked the Secretary of State for Employment what progress has been made with the job release scheme since the changes announced on 15th March; and if he will make a statement about further extensions to the scheme.
§ Mr. GoldingFollowing the announcement by the Secretary of State for Employment on 15th March 1978, the job release scheme was extended from 1st April 1978 for a further 12 months and now covers the whole country. Up to 30th May a total of 26,347 applications have been approved for job release. Since the scheme was extended on 1st April, the number of weekly applications received has more than doubled. We would expect the rate of applications to improve further after 1st July, when the allowance for a married person with a dependent spouse is to be increased from £26.50 to £35 (tax free). A draft order has been laid before the House to provide continuing financial authority for the scheme until 29th September 1979. No decision has yet been taken on whether to extend the scheme beyond 31st March 1979.