HC Deb 26 February 1997 vol 291 c265W
Mr. Alan Howarth

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what estimate she has made of(a) the costs and (b) the numbers gaining if the national jobmatch scheme for under 25-year-olds was available on the same basis to (1) unemployed people of any age who have been unemployed for (i) at least six months, (ii) at least one year and (iii) at least two years and (2) unemployed people over the age of 50 years who have been unemployed for (A) at least six months, (B) at least one year and (C) at least two years. [17600]

Mr. Forth

The jobmatch programme is an intensive measure designed to help very long-term unemployed people to leave unemployment for a part-time job. We have developed a range of measures designed to meet the diverse needs of unemployed people, with the most intensive such as jobmatch targeted on those who need the most help to get back to work. It would not be a cost-effective use of the taxpayer's resources to make jobmatch available to shorter-term unemployed people.

From April, jobmatch will be available to those young people aged 18 to 24 who have been unemployed for two years or more. We estimate that the costs of making jobmatch available, on the same basis, to all people unemployed for two years or more would be some £47 million in 1997–98; and the costs of making it available to those aged over 50 who have been unemployed for two years or more would be some £11 million in 1997–98.

It is not possible accurately to estimate the programme costs of a national jobmatch scheme for groups of people who have been unemployed for less than two years. That is because jobmatch has been piloted only among very long-term unemployed people, and it cannot be assumed that take-up of the scheme among shorter-term unemployed people would be the same.