§ Mr. Barry JonesTo ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will make a statement on the New Deal pilot schemes. [33530]
§ Mr. HainI am delighted to say that we have made good and rapid progress in implementing the New Deal for young people in the South-West Wales Pathfinder.
To date, well over 2,000 interviews with unemployed young people have been completed and almost 1,200 jobs pledged by more than 250 employers. A further 400 employers are expected to sign-up in the next three months.
This represents an excellent start to our crusade to bring hope to young jobless people and one which we will build-on when the New Deal is launched throughout Wales in April.