§ Mr. William PowellTo ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many people were signed off from the Corby jobcentre without reason being given after a restart interview during 1993.
§ Mr. Michael ForsythResponsibility for the subject of the question has been delegated to the Employment Service Agency under its chief executive. I have asked him to arrange for a reply to be given.
Letter from M. E. G. Fogden to Mr. William Powell, dated 24 February 1994:
The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your question about the number of people who were signed off without a reason being given after a Restart interview at Corby Jobcentre.
Unfortunately the information you request is not available. Statistics on people who leave the register after a Restart interview are collected only where we can demonstrate that the sign off was the direct result of the interview. Undoubtedly this somewhat underestimates the total effectiveness of Restart interviews, but the alternative would be to include numerous people who would have left the register anyway.
The figures I can therefore give you are that in 1993, 3,164 Restart interviews were carried out at Corby Jobcentre and from these interviews: 98 were placed into jobs; 98 took up other benefit; and 67 signed off as a direct result of Client Adviser action such as being places on a more appropriate benefit. In addition 1,005 started on one of the following Employment Department programmes: Jobclub, Restart Course, Jobplan Workshop, Job Review Workshop, Training for Work, Learning for Work, Community Action, Work Trials, Business Start-Up Scheme and Job Interview Guarantee scheme.
388WThese figures reflect only the direct results of Restart. We do not know how many people subsequently take up a job or a place on an employment or training programme as a result of the guidance given to them at their interview.
I hope this is helpful.