§ Mr. RowlandsTo ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will estimate the number of people in each of the various stages of the New Deal; and what assessment he has made of the impact of the New Deal on the unemployment count. [70067]
§ Mr. HainThe latest statistics published by the Department for Education and Employment show that 7,900 young people were on theNew Deal for 18–24s in Wales at the end of November 1998.
Within this total, 4,300 young people were in the Gateway and almost 3,400 were on an option, of whom about: 1,000 were in a subsidised job; 600 were in the Environment Task Force; 400 were in the Voluntary Sector Option; and 1,400 were in Full-Time Training and Education.
A further 200 people had completed their option and were receiving additional assistance to secure jobs as part of the Follow-through arrangements.
Between January and November 1998, almost 2,700 unemployed young people left the New Deal in Wales for an unsubsidised job. Between April 1998, when the New Deal for 18–24s was introduced throughout Wales, and October 1998 (the latest available data) unemployment amongst the client group fell by 34 per cent.