HC Deb 15 February 1996 vol 271 cc680-3W
Mrs. Helen Jackson

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment (1) what was the total budget for the access to work scheme in each of the last three years; and if she will give a regional breakdown of each national budget; [15331]

(2) what was the average payment per client of the access to work scheme, in each of the last three years; and if she will give a regional breakdown of the average payment per client. [15332]

Mr. Forth

Responsibility for the subject of the questions has been delegated to the Employment Service under its chief executive. I have asked him to arrange for a reply to be given.

Letter from Mike Fogden to Mrs. Helen Jackson, date 15 February 1996: The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your questions about the total budget for Access to work over the past three years and the average payment per client. Access to work was introduced in June 1994. The total expenditure for 1994/95 was £15.7 million which included some residual payments on behalf of the preceding Special Schemes for people with disabilities. The budget for 1995/96 is £13.4 million but this is likely to be exceeded by some £6 million. The Employment Service regional breakdown for these years is given in the annex. The average cost in 1994/95 was £1,513 per client. This includes people helped during 1994/95 under the special schemes that preceded Access to Work. Unfortunately the information we have for 1994/95 does not enable us to calculate regional average costs. The average costs for 1995/96 cannot be calculated until the end of the year. I hope this is helpful.

Annex: Access to work budgets—regional allocation
£ million
ES Region 1994–95 expenditure 1995–96 provision
Northern region 0.7 0.9
Yorkshire and Humberside region 1.5 1.3
East Midlands and Eastern region 1.6 0.9
London and South Eastern region 4.4 3.9
South-west region 1.3 1.0
Office for Wales 0.7 0.9
West Midlands region 1.5 1.5
North-west region 1.5 1.7
Office for Scotland 1.1 1.3
Total 15.7 13.4

Mrs. Jackson

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how many disabled people have benefited from the access to work scheme in each of the last three years; and if she will give a regional breakdown of national figures. [15330]

Mr. Forth

Responsibility for the subject of the question has been delegated to the Employment Service under its chief executive. I have asked him to arrange for a reply to be given.

Letter from Mike Fogden to Mrs. Helen Jackson, dated 15 February 1996: The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your question about the number of people benefiting from Access to Work. Access to Work began in June 1994. During 1994–95 10, 394 people were helped, of whom 7,669 people benefitted directly from Access special schemes in April and May 1994, some of whom transferred to Access to Work. During the period April to December 1995, the latest month for which we have figures, 12,267 people benefitted. A regional breakdown of these figures is given in the Annex. I hope this is helpful.

Annex: Access to Work beneficiaries June 1994 to March 1995
Region Number
Northern 374
Yorkshire and Humberside 798
East Midlands 758
London and South-east 1,776
South-west 735
Wales 445
West Midlands 919
North-west 1,106
Scotland 758
Total 7,669

We do not have a regional breakdown for the 2,725 people helped under the special schemes in April and May 1994.

Annex: Access to Work beneficiaries April to December 1995
Region Number
Northern 722
Yorkshire and Humberside 1,345
East Midlands 1,335
London and South-east 3,243
South-west 1,164
Wales 576
West Midlands 1,267
North-west 1,897
Scotland 718
Total 12,267

Mr. Tony Lloyd

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment (1) what was the original budget of the Government's access to work scheme in 1995–96; [15203]

(2) what is the estimated final outturn of the Government's access to work scheme in 1995–96; and what is the planned expenditure for the scheme for 1996–97. [15204]

Mr. Forth

Responsibility for the subject of the questions have been delegated to the Employment Service under its chief executive. I have asked him to arrange for a reply to be given.

Letter from Mike Fogden to Mr. Tony Lloyd, dated 16 February 1996: The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your questions about the Access to Work budget for 1995–96 and 1996–97. The original budget for Access to Work for 1995–96 was £13,434,000 and the current estimated outturn is around £19 million. The Access to Work budget planned for 1996–97 is £12,900,000. I hope this is helpful.

Mr. Lloyd

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what consultations have taken place with private employers about the access to work scheme; and what discussions have taken place in respect of employer's contributions. [15205]

Mr. Paice

Discussions are being held with the principal organisations concerned with the future operation of the access to work programme, including ones representing the views of private employers. The discussions are wide ranging.