§ 15. Mr. LuffTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will develop pilot schemes to involve the private sector in helping lone parents into work. [15755]
§ Mr. Andrew MitchellUp to 100,000 lone parents on income support will be offered help to get back into work under the parent plus scheme, which will be piloted in 12 areas over three years starting in April. Parent plus will involve both public and private sector teams in competing to find the best ways of helping lone parents to reduce their dependency on benefits.
In Preston, Wiltshire, Northamptonshire and Manchester the private sector have been invited to tender to provide innovative services to help get lone parents into work. Contracts will be issued to successful tenderers by the beginning of April and will stipulate that payment will be dependent on how many lone parents are helped into jobs. This will be the first time that private enterprise has been harnessed in this way to help people into work.