§ Ms. PrimaroloTo ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will give(a) the full cost of the research being carried out into the viability of extending action credit to the five employment service areas, including employment service staff hours, (b) the full amount that has, and is to be paid for administering and monitoring the existing three action credit pilots including the three month extension, and (c) on what grounds he took the decision to fund new research before the initial research into the pilots was finished.
§ Mr. EggarThe cost of the research carried out into the viability of extending action credit to employment service areas was £35,466. The involvement of employment service staff was minimal.
The contracted cost of administering and monitoring the existing three action credit pilots, including the three month extension is £100,025. Currently there are no plans which would increase the total cost of the three pilots.
The existing pilots are targeted only at those leaving employment training. The new research was therefore commissioned to give an insight into the reactions of all long-term unemployed people to the concept of action credit.