§ Mr. Christopher Hawkinsasked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will announce the results of the review of the rates of allowance payable under both the part-time and full-time job release schemes.
§ Mr. Alan ClarkFollowing our annual review of allowances, the rates payable under the job release schemes from 8 April, will be as follows:
PART-TIME SCHEME
For disabled men aged 60 and 61 and men aged 62 and 63 who are married with a dependent wife whose net income from all sources does not exceed £13 a week: £40.70 a week taxable; for all others £33.80 a week, taxable.
For women aged 59 and men aged 64 who are married with a dependent spouse whose net income from all sources does not exceed £13 a week: £35.55 a week, tax free; for all others £28.95 a week, tax free.
The new part-time scheme allowances include a supplement of £4, to make the scheme more attractive to employees.
FULL-TIME SCHEME
For disabled men aged 60, 61, 62 and 63—and for men who have joined the scheme at aged 62 and 63—who are married with a dependent wife whose net income from all sources does not exceed £13 a week: £71.15 a week, taxable; for all others £58.35 a week, taxable.
315WFor women aged 59 and men aged 64 who are married with a dependent spouse whose net income from all sources does not exceed £13 a week: £63 a week, tax free; for all others £49.95 a week, tax free.
§ Mr. Christopher Hawkinsasked the Secretary of State for Employment whether he is proposing to make any further changes to the job splitting and part-time job release schemes; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. Alan ClarkAs my right hon. Friend announced on 12 November, both schemes will continue in 1985–86 but with improvements designed to encourage changes in working patterns and to help in reducing unemployment.
The rules of the job splitting scheme will be changed with effect from 1 April to widen the scope of the scheme and to ensure that it operates more flexibly. The main changes are:
- —to increase the grant available to employers from £750 to £840 payable in three instalments;
- —to allow employers to create two new part-time jobs which must be filled by people leaving other Government schemes, notably the youth training scheme;
- — to allow employers to create a part-time job from combining the regular overtime hours of existing full-time jobs;
- —to remove the restrictions in the current rules on the time allowed for part-time workers to work or train alongside each other;
- —and to permit more flexibility in the working arrangements to be adopted by allowing the hours of the part-time jobs to be averaged over a 13-week period.
In addition, for the first time, the grant will be payable to an employer supporting a successful application under the part-time job release scheme. Further changes have also been made to the part-time job release scheme to make it more attractive. They will apply in respect of employees who join the scheme on or after 29 April:
The main changes are:
- —to remove the restriction preventing individuals from moving from the part-time scheme to the full-time schemes; and
- —to simplify the application procedure and the current rules, particularly those covering the hours to be given up by the employee.
In addition, the new part-time scheme allowances applying from 8 April will include a supplement of £4, in addition to the usual annual increase, to make the scheme more attractive to employees.
New leaflets giving details of the changes will be available from Department of Employment regional offices, jobcentres and careers offices shortly.