§ Mr. HopeTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what action he is taking to ensure that people in the New Deal for Lone Parents will have access to programmes which can help them get back to work. [40239]
§ Mr. Andrew SmithThe vast majority of adults in the New Deal for Lone Parents are already eligible for the programmes offered by the Employment Service to help people move from welfare dependency into work. In addition, they are eligible for work based training for adults which is managed by Training and Enterprise Councils. I am pleased to announce that we are also 105W extending such eligibility to those in the New Deal for Lone Parents claiming benefit for less than 6 months, or who have been out of the labour market for less than 2 years. This means that everyone in New Deal for Lone Parents will be eligible for work based training for adults, Jobclub, Programme Centres, Work Trial, Jobfinder's Grant, Travel to Interview Scheme and Jobplan Workshops.
Whilst this decision applies to England, colleagues in Scotland and Wales are considering similar action.