§ 24. Mr. Tom Clarkeasked the Secretary of State for Employment what Government schemes specifically attempt to retrain or find new employment for the long-term unemployed.
§ Mr. Peter MorrisonI refer the hon. Member to my reply to the hon. Member for Birmingham, Hodge Hill, (Mr. Davis) earlier today.
§ 36. Mr. Barnettasked the Secretary of State for Employment what assessment he has made of the effect of the level of supplementary benefit on the motivation of the long-term unemployed to seek work.
§ Mr. Alan ClarkI know of no study which has specifically looked at the link between supplementary benefit and the motivation of the long-term unemployed to seek work. There is evidence, such as from the DHSS cohort study of unemployed men, that intensity of job search decreased with longer duration of unemployment. Econometric analysis of the results of this survey has also shown that higher benefits are associated with longer unemployment durations—holding other factors constant —but there has been no comparable study of the effect of benefits on job search.