HC Deb 11 December 1997 vol 302 cc652-3W
21. Mr. Gorrie

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how many young people aged between 18 and 24 years, unemployed for over six months, will benefit from the new deal in its first year. [18768]

Mr. Andrew Smith

It is not possible to provide precise estimates of the total numbers of young people who will require help from the New Deal. In its first year, we will offer help to everyone who becomes eligible for the New Deal, and sufficient places will be available to meet this commitment.

22. Mr. Prosser

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what the response of employers in the tourism, leisure and hospitality industries has been to the new deal for young unemployed people. [18770]

Mr. Alan Howarth

I refer my hon. Friend to the reply 1 gave earlier to my hon. Friend the Member for Great Yarmouth (Mr. Wright).

29. Mr. Reed

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if there will be the opportunity for young people entering the gateway phase of the new deal to gain some work experience without losing benefits entitlement. [18779]

Mr. Andrew Smith

People claiming the Jobseeker's Allowance are able to benefit from work experience as part of an employment or training programme without losing benefit entitlement. This includes young people on the Gateway phase of the New Deal.

Mr. Healey

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how Rotherham and the Dearne will benefit from the Environmental Task Force and voluntary sector options of the New Deal for young unemployed people. [18772]

Mr. Andrew Smith

In Rotherham, plans are well advanced to offer placements on the Environmental Task Force and voluntary sector option. It is projected that around 480 young unemployed could take up this provision in the period to March 1999. In Dearne, which is not a Pathfinder area, invitations to tender are being issued with a view to offering contracts to run from April 1998. The precise number of places has yet to be decided.

Dr. Kumar

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how many people between 18 and 24 years old will benefit from the New Deal in the (a) constituency of Middlesbrough, South and Cleveland, East and (b) Teesside Region in the first year of operation. [19254]

Mr. Andrew Smith

Responsibility 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 Kevin White to Mr. Ashok Kumar, dated 11 December 1997: The Secretary of State has asked me, in the absence of the Chief Executive, to respond to your question about the number of people aged between 18 and 24 who will benefit from the New Deal in the constituency of Middlesbrough and East Cleveland and also in Teeside region in the first year of operation. The planning assumptions, based on the New Deal District plan, indicate that 1,400 clients who have been unemployed for six months or more will be eligible for the New Deal in the Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland constituency. In Teeside, as a whole the number of clients eligible to benefit in the first year is estimated to be 5928. I hope this is helpful.

Mr. Willis

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment (1) what is the object of the New Deal policy in respect of increasing(a) employment and (b) employability; [19173]

(2) by what criteria the success of the New Deal will be measured. [19225]

Mr. Andrew Smith

The aim of the New Deal is to increase the long-term employability of young and long-term unemployed people by offering the opportunity to participate in a job, training or useful work experience. The Government believe that this has an important part to play in developing a more skilled workforce and efficient labour market which will assist sustainable job-generating, economic growth.

The success of the New Deal in achieving its aims will be evaluated through the analysis of data gained from a range of qualitative and quantitative surveys with New Deal participants, employers and organisations involved in the delivery of the New Deal. We are currently finalising the exact criteria that will form our evaluation strategy.

Ms Moran

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what will be the role of the Territorial Army in the delivery of the New Deal. [19475]

Dr. Reid

I have been asked to reply.

As I said in my written answer to my hon. Friend the Member for Leyton and Wanstead (Mr. Cohen) on 14 November 1997, Official Report, column 688, my Department is keen to play a full part in the New Deal initiative. The contribution that the Territorial Army and other Reserve organisations might make is under consideration in MOD's assessment of its involvement in the initiative.