§ Mr. SoleyTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if he will make a statement on the effectiveness of the New Deal in(a) London and (b) other regions. [69557]
§ Mr. Andrew Smith[holding answer 8 February 1999]: Responsibility for the subject of this question has been delegated to the Employment Service agency under its Chief Executive. I have asked him to arrange for a reply to be given.
Letter from Leigh Lewis to Mr. Clive Soley, dated 10 February 1999:
As the Employment Service is an Executive Agency, the Secretary of State for Education and Employment has asked me to reply to your question asking for a statement on the effectiveness of
Annex A: New Deal for 18–24 year olds ES region/country Number starting New Deal Unsubsidised jobs Subsidised jobs FTET option VS option ETF option East Midlands and Eastern 16,881 3,436 825 1,977 483 410 London and South East 50,024 9,214 1,866 5,200 1,312 744 Northern 15,222 2,447 1,137 2,871 616 595 North West 29,343 5,250 2,230 3,597 628 899 South West 12,021 2,539 1,007 1,525 647 412 West Midlands 19,444 3,643 861 2,328 419 492 Yorkshire and Humberside 24,720 4,296 1,603 3,557 900 963 Office for Scotland 21,438 3,889 1,680 2,294 1,033 792 Office for Wales 12,965 2,428 1,252 1,642 440 701 National Total 202,058 37,142 12,461 24,991 6,478 6,008 Notes:
1. The figures above are from the Government Statistical Service (GSS) First Release for period ending November 1998.
2. It should be noted that the Government First Release national figures also include those outcomes where a Regional Office is not known. For this reason, and also because of rounding up or down, the national total above will not necessarily equate to the figures shown in the First Release. The variations are however small.
§ Mr. VazTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what reports he has received from (1) Fernley Employment Service and (2) Pelcon on their delivery of the New Deal. [69234]
§ Mr. Andrew SmithResponsibility for the subject of the question has been delegated to the Employment Service agency under its Chief Executive. I have asked him to arrange for a reply to be given.
Letter from Leigh Lewis to Mr. Keith Vaz, dated 10 February 1999:
As the Employment Service is an Executive Agency, the Secretary of State for Education and Employment has asked me to reply to your question asking if he has received any reports from Femly Business Services or Pelcombe about New Deal. This is something which falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as Chief Executive of the Agency.
264Wthe New Deal in London and other regions. This is something which falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as Chief Executive of the Agency.
The New Deal for young unemployed people is developing well in London. The latest Government Statistical Service figures to the end of November 1998 show that in the London area of the Employment Service London and South East Region, over 31,000 young people have joined the New Deal for 18–24 year olds. While most are still on the Gateway phase of the programme, over 5,000 have found unsubsidised jobs; 950 have been placed into subsidised jobs; over 3,000 have joined the Full-Time Education and Training option; nearly 750 the Voluntary Sector option; and some 330 the Environment Task Force. A comparison with other Employment Service Regions in England and with Scotland and Wales is set out in the table at annex A.
More generally, the effectiveness of New Deal is being assessed through a comprehensive evaluation strategy within which a number of qualitative and quantitative surveys are being carried out. The findings from these surveys, as and when they are available, form part of our continuous improvement strategy in that they help identify those aspects of our processes which are working well and those that are capable of being improved. Findings from the evaluation surveys are communicated within the ES and to our partners who form part of over 40 partnerships in London responsible for New Deal delivery. Each partnership will draw up an action plan for performance improvement over the next 12 months, based on the evidence from local management information and evaluation findings.
If you would like to discuss the progress of New Deal in the London area in more detail, Stephen Holt, the Director for the Employment Service London and South East Region, would be happy to do so. He can be contacted on 0171 211 4395.
I hope this is helpful.
The Secretary of State has received Delivery Plans from both Fernly Business Services, in respect of their delivery of New Deal for 18–24 year olds in Leicestershire, and from Pelcombe in respect of the New Deal 25 Plus pilot in Leicestershire and South Humber.
Fernly took over delivery of New Deal from July 1998 and Pelcombe implemented the 25+ pilots on 30 November 1998. Under the terms of their contract for the delivery of New Deal both Fernly Business Services and Pelcombe are required to submit monthly management information reports on their performance. These are discussed on a monthly basis with the Employment Service and any issues are highlighted and addressed.
I hope this is helpful.
§ Mr. VazTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what steps he has taken to ensure that the New Deals for(a) lone parents and (b) over 25s meet the needs of the ethnic minority community. [69233]
265W
§ Mr. Andrew SmithWe are ensuring that the Employment Service develops effective links with local communities. In many locations lone parent advisers and community organisations work together to offer New Deal outreach services, and publicity materials are produced in ethnic minority languages. The New Deal personal advisers are trained in equal opportunities awareness, and given guidance on the problems facing people from ethnic minorities. I am monitoring the participation of ethnic minorities within all the New Deal programmes to ensure they are treated fairly.