§ Mr. HancockTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what representations he has received concerning the effects on part-time students of the reduction in permitted study hours from 21 to 16 per week to maintain jobseeker's allowance entitlement; and if he will make a statement. [12298]
§ Mr. Alan HowarthI have not received representations on this specific issue although my colleagues and I receive correspondence on a range of issues relating to the jobseeker's allowance rules.
The Job seeker's Allowance Regulations 1996 introduced a definition of part-time students. Part-time study had not previously been defined in social security legislation. What is regarded as part-time depends on the type of course and where it is provided. In England and Wales, courses which are funded or part-funded by the further education funding councils of no more than 16 guided learning hours per week are regarded as part-time. This reflects the way in which the sector operates its part-time courses.
We will be reviewing the job-seeker's allowance rules on education and training in the light of the jobseeker's allowance workskills pilots, which we expanded in September this year, and early experience of new deal measures for the long-term unemployed.
§ Mr. RooneyTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment, how many claimants had their jobseeker's allowance reduced during 1996–97 for(a) two weeks and (b) four weeks for not attending or failing to complete (i) jobplan workshops, (ii) restart courses, (iii) workwise and worklink, (iv) 1-2-1, (v) project work and (vi) non-prescribed Government programmes where referral was under a jobseeker's direction. [7733]
§ Mr. Alan Howarth[pursuant to his reply, 10 July 1997, c.558]: Unfortunately not all relevant data was included in the reply provided by Leigh Lewis, chief executive of the Employment Service.
The third, fourth and fifth paragraphs of the reply should have read as follows:
Unfortunately, information is not available in the form you request. However, it may be helpful if I explain that a total of 17,477 sanction decisions and opinions were given in 1996–97 for:refusal of a place on a training scheme or employment programme;failure to attend a place on a training scheme or employment programme;giving up a place on a training scheme or employment programme;losing a place on a training scheme or employment programme through misconduct; and,neglect to avail of a place on a training scheme or employment programme.685WSchemes and programmes included in this definition are jobplan Workshops, Restart Courses, Workwise, Worklink, 1-2-1, and Project Work. Employment Service statistics do not identify the number of sanctions relating to each programme, nor do they differentiate between two and four week sanctions.The total number of sanction decisions and opinions given in 1996–97 for refusal or failure to carry out a Jobseeker's Direction was 225. It is not possible to say whether any of these related to employment programmes.