HC Deb 26 January 1998 vol 305 cc86-8W
Mr. Duncan Smith

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if he will list the(a) private sector companies and (b) public sector departments which have provided jobs for the employer option of the Welfare to Work scheme, indicating the number of jobs each has provided. [24493]

Mr. Andrew Smith

[holding answer 22 January 1996]: The information requested is not held centrally. Nine thousand employers have expressed interest in taking part in the New Deal, the overwhelming majority in the private sector.

Mr. Duncan Smith

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how many people in the employer option of the Welfare to Work scheme are in jobs in the(a) private and (b) public sector. [24490]

Mr. Andrew Smith

[holding answer 22 January 1998]: The large majority of jobs on the New Deal Employment option will be in the private sector, reflecting the balance in the workforce as a whole.

An important feature of the New Deal is the provision of advice during the Gateway period, prior to taking up new deal options including the Employment option. The New Deal started in the 12 pathfinder areas on 5 January.

In the first two weeks there have been 107 referrals to the private sector employment option and six to the public sector option.

Mr. Rooney

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if the New Deal for 18 to 24 year olds will be voluntary in circumstances where a claimant has been unemployed for six months and broken his claim for between one and 28 days. [25559]

Mr. Andrew Smith

Young people who would have reached six months on the Jobseeker's Allowance and would have entered the New Deal Gateway but for short breaks in their claim totalling not more than 28 days will be able to choose to join the New Deal early.

Mr. Rooney

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what would be the cost of extending the education and training options of the New Deal for 18 to 24 year olds to allow those eligible to take a level 3 course or equivalent as set out in schedule 2 of the Further and Higher Education Act 1992 and section 6 of the Further and Higher Education (Scotland) Act 1992. [25566]

Mr. Andrew Smith

Although primarily designed for young people without N/SVQ 2 or equivalent level qualifications, the Full-Time Education and Training option of the New Deal for 18 to 24 year olds also allows some young people to study towards a Level 3 qualification, where there is a clear link between achievement of the qualification and increased employability. The cost will depend on the bids by education and training providers. Young people may also study part-time for a qualification above Level 2 through the education and training element of the other three options.

Mr. Rooney

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if an 18 to 24-year-old who has completed a New Deal option and then claimed jobseeker's allowance for a further six months will be re-referred to the Gateway and New Deal. [25558]

Mr. Andrew Smith

We are making a major investment to help young people move off welfare and find sustained employment, and to avoid as far as possible (for example through a follow-through strategy for people who return to JSA shortly after completing an option) the circumstances described. Any young person who found themselves in this position would of course have the right to further help from the New Deal.

Mr. Rooney

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment in what circumstances a lone parent who claims jobseeker's allowance to enter the New Deal programme for 18 to 24-year-olds will be allowed to return to income support if they are issued with a jobseeker's allowance or New Deal sanction. [25557]

Mr. Andrew Smith

Any lone parent claiming Jobseeker's Allowance (JSA) who would be eligible for Income Support would always have the option of terminating the claim to JSA and claiming Income Support instead.

Mr. Rooney

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how many places will be available in the next five years under the education and training options of the New Deal for the over 25-year-old long-term unemployed. [25555]

Mr. Andrew Smith

We have made provision for at least 10,000 additional opportunities, over the lifetime of this Parliament, for those aged 25 years or over, unemployed for two years or more, to undertake courses of full-time employment-related education and training for up to a year while receiving Jobseeker's Allowance.