§ Mr. HealeyTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how many people his Department is committed to employing during 1998 under(a) the subsidised job option and (b) the unsubsidised job option of the New Deal programme. [52589]
§ Mr. MudieDuring this year the wider Education and Employment Department comprising the DfEE Headquarters and the Employment Service aim to recruit up to 320 subsidised New Deal Participants.
In addition we expect that a number of unsubsidised participants will be recruited during or after the Gateway stage through the normal recruitment channels via fair and open competition.
§ Mr. GerrardTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how many people, by Employment Service region, are(a) refusing to participate in the New Deal and (b) have had their jobseeker's allowance sanctioned as a consequence of refusal. [52549]
§ Mr. Andrew SmithThe total number of sanctions to be included in the quarterly analysis of Adjudication Office decisions for the period 30 June 1998 is 68, for:
- failing to attend a place on a New Deal opportunity,
- giving up a place on a New Deal opportunity without good cause, or
- losing a place on a New Deal opportunity through misconduct, as follows:
Employment Service Region Number of Sanctions London and South East 6 East Midlands and Eastern 3 South West 3 West Midlands 8 Yorkshire and the Humber 12 North West 8 Northern 12 Wales 9 Scotland 7 Great Britain Total 68
§ Mr. KeetchTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how many young people to date have been sanctioned under the New Deal for the young unemployed. [54122]
808W
§ Mr. Andrew SmithThe total number of sanctions to be included in the quarterly analysis of Adjudication Office decisions for the period 30 June 1998 is 68, for:
- failing to attend a place on a New Deal opportunity,
- giving up a place on a New Deal opportunity without good cause, or
- losing a place on a New Deal opportunity through misconduct.
§ Mr. KeetchTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment when he expects the first figures and results of the New Deal 25 Plus to be available; and if he will publish them. [54123]
§ Mr. Andrew SmithWe are only a month into the New Deal 25+ and it is too soon to report on actual or likely take-up of opportunities. The Government Statistical Service will publish the first robust and reliable statistics, covering the period July-September, in December. I am considering whether it will be possible to make provisional management information available earlier than that; and will do so if I can.
§ Mr. GreenTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what has been to date the unit cost for each trainee in the New Deal Gateway. [54191]
§ Mr. Andrew SmithThe amount spent on each participant in the Gateway depends on their individual needs and the amount of time they spend on the Gateway. It is too early to give an accurate average cost for participants.