§ Baroness Carnegy of Lourasked Her Majesty's Government:
What targets Remploy has been set in its 1997–98 annual performance agreement.
§ The Minister of State, Department for Education and Employment (Lord Henley)I have written to the chairman of Remploy approving the 1997–98 annual performance agreement between the department and the company. This agreement covers the year from 1 April 1997. It has been negotiated by the chief executive of the Employment Service on behalf of my right honourable friend the Secretary of State for Education and Employment. The targets are:
—the average number of disabled people employed by Remploy Ltd. will be at least 9,800;
—the average number of disabled people employed under the Interwork scheme will be at least 3,000;
—at least 200 disabled employees will move from Remploy factories to Interwork, having been employed there for at least one year, or from Interwork or factories to open employment;
—Remploy Ltd. will keep within a total unit cost target (operating deficit per disabled worker) of £10,000;
—the unit cost of Interwork should be no more than £4,400;
—Remploy Ltd. will keep within an operating deficit of £99 million (including reorganisation costs).
The text of the annual performance agreement has been placed in the Library.