§ Ms. PrimaroloTo ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will list the changes made to the three action credit pilot schemes since their introduction.
§ Mr. Eggar[holding answer 18 May 1990]: The weekly earnings limit for participants has been raised from £43 to £75 to allow greater flexibility and the pilot has been extended for three months.
§ Ms. PrimaroloTo ask the Secretary of State for Employment what the role of training and enterprise councils and the employment service will be in promoting and administering action credit; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. Eggar[holding answer 18 May 1990]: When the action credit pilots have been completed and evaluated it will be for each training and enterprise council to decide whether they wish to operate such a scheme in their area. They will be responsible for administering any scheme and for negotiating locally with the employment service about its role.
§ Ms. PrimaroloTo ask the Secretary of State for Employment when a statement will be made on whether 69W action credit will be extended beyond its current pilot schemes; and what are the criteria by which the success of these pilots is being judged.
§ Mr. Eggar[holding answer 18 May 1990]: The final evaluation report is due in November. The results will be made available to training and enterprise councils and it will be for them to decide whether to introduce schemes in their area.
The evaluation includes interview surveys of actual and potential participants and of employers.
Significant criteria for success will be the extent to which action credit is successful in helping ET leavers into full-time employment or self-employment, and in helping them to obtain a job reference.
§ Ms. PrimaroloTo ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will give a detailed account of the moneys his Department and the employment service have spent, and are projected to spend, in connection with the piloting of action credit.
§ Mr. Eggar[holding answer 18 May 1990]: To date expenditure on the pilot of action credit for those leaving employment training is £61,319.51. The projected total expenditure on administering and monitoring the pilots is £100,025. A further £24,725 is projected for the independent evaluation currently under way.
The cost to the employment service of market research into the feasibility of an action credit pilot targeted at those unemployed for 12 months or more is £35,466. The employment service has no immediate plans to spend further money on action credit.
§ Ms. PrimaroloTo ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will estimate the percentage and number of action credit participants who on leaving the scheme have (i) found employment and received the bonus, (ii) have signed off without finding permanent work and received the bonus and (iii) have continued to claim income support.
§ Mr. Eggar[holding answer 18 May 1990]: No. This information will be available after the action credit pilot is completed at the end of August.