§ 87. Mrs. Maureen HicksTo ask the Secretary of State for Employment what steps are being considered to attract women back to work.
§ Mr. NichollsThe Government are already taking many steps to help women who choose to work to do so while continuing to recognise that women who choose not to do so are doing an equally valuable job in looking after the family at home.
174WAll Government schemes to help the unemployed, to help the inner cities and to help people set up their own businesses are open equally to women and men. These include Restart courses, job clubs, employment training, inner cities, the enterprise allowance scheme and job share—which is particularly attractive to women returning to work after a career break.
Job clubs are open to all who have been out of work for six months whether or not in receipt of benefit, and attendance times can be varied to suit domestic requirements.
My Department's employment service has also produced a special leaflet to tell women interested in returning to work about available opportunities and schemes.
We are also helping to develop to the full the skills of women by increasing the availability of training to them. All women aged 18 to 59 unemployed for six months or more are eligible to take advantage of employment training. In addition, women returning to the labour market and certain single parents on order books can also enter the programme, full or part-time, without fulfilling the six-month unemployment eligibility condition. All lone parents on employment training can qualify for a child care allowance.
In the period up to the year 2000, women are expected to account for over 90 per cent. of the new jobs. It is therefore important that employers do what they can to encourage women back to work. The Government are encouraging employers to adapt traditional working practices to accommodate the needs of women. This means more flexibility in hours of work and in holidays, job sharing, career breaks, part-time working and where possible help with child care costs.