HC Deb 25 November 1994 vol 250 cc386-7W
Sir Ralph Howell

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what is the average payment made to providers in(a) North Norfolk Action, (b) Workstart and (c) all other similar schemes; and what was the total amount paid to all providers in the last year for which figures are available.

Miss Widdecombe

The Employment Department does not collect information centrally on the number of programme providers and the amounts paid to each of them. The fee paid to the providers per place per week in 1994–95 is:

  1. a) for North Norfolk Action, £52
  2. b) for Community Action, £40

The total amount paid to all providers in 1993–94 was:

  1. a) for North Norfolk Action, £215,840
  2. b) for Community Action , £5.6 million

As community action began in July 1993, the figure does not represent the payments for a complete year.

Workstart is a scheme designed to encourage employers to recruit long-term unemployed people. It pays employers £60 a week per recruit for the first six months and £30 per week for the second six. In 1993–94, £206,397 was paid to employers.