§ Ms. Harmanasked the Paymaster General (1) how many new jobs have been created by the task force initiative in Peckham;
(2) how many of the new jobs created by the task force in Peckham have been filled by people resident in Peckham;
(3) how many more jobs he expects to be created as a direct result of the task force initiative in Peckham;
(4) how much of the money allocated to the task force initiative in Peckham has already been spent;
(5) what is the cost per job of each job created by the task force initiative in Peckham;
(6) what are the new jobs created by the task force initiative in Peckham.
§ Mr. Kenneth Clarke[pursuant to his reply, 12 January 1987, c. 54–55]: It is not possible to provide specific answers to all the hon. Member's questions because they require a detailed evaluation of the inner cities initiative which has no yet been carried out. The initiative was announced in February 1986 and the north Peckham task force was not in place with its small office and staff until 8 May 1986. The north Peckham task force has made considerable progress towards its objectives including job creation and, improving the employability of local residents.
The task force has established contacts and is working with a wide variety of local community organisations, the local authority and with the private sector. A plan has been drawn up as a framework for action in tackling the problems of the area. The plan includes a number of projects designed to increase employment and improve the employability of local people, which are being worked up as a matter of priority. These include:
- (a) the establishment, in co-operation with a major clearing bank, of a grant and loan scheme for local small businesses;
- (b) a scheme in conjunction with the MSC and the Industrial Society to give young people access to enterprise training and on-going encouragement and support with a view to encouraging self employment;
- (c) creating local jobs through a scheme tackling home security problems on local council estates.
294 A first project now under way is the improvement of lighting and external security on the north Peckham estate; - (d) the establishment of a shop run as a co-operative by the local community on the Gloucester grove estate;
- (e) creation of workshop start-up units from disused garages on a local estate;
- (f) support for provisions of customised employer-based training for 100 local people;
- (g) improvements to two adult education institute branches to enable training capacity to be in-creased (benefiting an additional 20 north Peckham residents), and a training course for 15 disadvantaged local residents to be recommenced.
A substantial number of other projects are at various stages of development. The task force is also working closely with the private sector, other Government Departments and statutory and voluntary agencies in the area to unlock all available resources and to ensure that they are targeted to maximum effect. We are attaching high priority to the introduction of community programme work experience opportunities to the people of north Peckham which has in the past been severely limited by local political opposition.
The task force was instrumental in securing a grant of £850,000 from the Department of the Environment's estates action for a crime prevention and environmental improvement package for the Gloucester grove estate.
A secondee from the voluntary sector has just joined the task force to work with unemployed alienated young people.
No specific allocation of funds to individual task forces has been made. They are intended to improve the targeting of all Government expenditure in their areas. Total central Government expenditure in the north Peckham area was estimated to be £6.4 million in 1985–86. To date some £72,000 has been committed to projects in the north Peckham task force area out of specific inner city initiative funds. Other projects under development, including those described above, are expected to require resources out of the same specific funds totalling some £600,000.