New Deal (Hansard, 26 October 1998)

§ Dr. Howells

I have asked Chief Executives of my Department's Agencies to reply direct to my hon. Friend.

The headquarters area of the Department is planning to provide places as part of the New Deal programme later in the new year, under the subsidised job option.

Letter from John Holden to Mr. John Healey, dated 26 October 1998: In response to your Parliamentary Question concerning employment under the New Deal programme, Companies House has no current firm plans to employ anyone under either the subsidised or the unsubsidised option.

Letter from P. R. S. Hartnack to Mr. John Healey, dated 26 October 1998: I am replying for the Patent Office to your question to the President of the Board of Trade about the New Deal programme. The Patent Office expects to employ twenty people this calendar year under the programme. Eleven young people joined us on 13 July 1998 under the subsidised job option and we hope one more will join us soon. We expect to fill eight places under the unsubsidised job option towards the end of next month or in early September.

Letter from Peter Joyce to Mr. John Healey, dated 26 October 1998: The President of the Board of Trade has asked me to reply to your question about how many people The Insolvency Service is committed to employing during this calendar year under (a) the subsidised job option and (b) the unsubsidised job option of the New Deal programme. The Insolvency Service will recruit at least two New Deal employees (subsidised) this calendar year.

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Letter from Dr. Seton Bennett to Mr. John Healey, dated 26 October 1998: The President of the Board of Trade has asked me to reply on behalf of the National Weights and Measures Laboratory to your question about the number of people NWML are committed to employ during this calendar year under (a) the subsidised job option and (b) the unsubsidised job option of the New Deal programme. The National Weights and Measures Laboratory employs 50 staff and at present there are no plans to employ anyone under the terms of the New Deal programme in this Agency.

Letter from Ian Jones to Mr. John Healey, dated 26 October 1998: I have been asked to reply in respect of the Employment Tribunals Service to your question of 23 July 1998 to the President of the Board of Trade asking how many people we will be employing under the New Deal programme. The Agency has not committed itself to specific targets but will consider employing New Deal applicants should it be necessary to recruit externally in the future. At present we have restrictions in place on recruitment in some parts of the country because of the fall in numbers of tribunal applications.