HC Deb 11 February 1999 vol 325 cc342-3W
Ms Southworth

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what mechanisms are in place to assess the effect of geographical variations in access to, and quality of, disablement services on access by disabled people to(a) the New Deal and (b) Welfare to Work. [69584]

Mr. Hutton

All the New Deal initiatives are subject to full evaluation. As part of each evaluation we will be able to identify whether there is a geographical variation in the effectiveness of Welfare to Work for a range of groups including disabled people.

Ms Southworth

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what meetings he has had with colleagues in other departments to discuss the effect of geographical variations in access to, and the quality of, disablement services on access by disabled people to(a) the New Deal and (b) Welfare to Work. [69585]

Mr. Hutton

My hon. Friends the Members for Barking (Mrs. Hodge) and City of York (Mr. Bayley), the Parliamentary Under-Secretaries of State for Education and Employment and for Social Security and I will be meeting shortly to discuss how local health, employment and social services can work together through the various New Deal initiatives to improve the employment prospects of disabled people. In addition, a cross Departmental group of officials from the Departments of Health, Education and Employment and Social Security meets regularly to ensure effective liaison over the welfare to work agenda.