§ Mr. BercowTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what assessment he has made of the proportion of people participating in the Training and Education Option of the New Deal who obtain unsubsidised employment after completion of their training; and if he will make a statement. [89433]
§ Mr. Andrew SmithThe latest Government Statistical Service figures show that, of the 42,100 young people who had entered full-time education and training by the end of April 1999, the majority—22,850 or 54 per cent.—were still on the option. Another 22 per cent.—or 9,270—were still on the New Deal and either on the point of entering another option or receiving intensive help to find a job. Of those young people who had left New Deal after participating in the FTET option, 54 per cent. with known destinations had entered jobs and roughly 27 per cent. of all leavers—including those who did not disclose a destination—had done so.
§ Mr. BercowTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what assessment he has made of the future numbers of prospective New Deal recruits. [89432]
§ Mr. Andrew SmithI refer the hon. Member to the reply given to my hon. Friend the Member for Enfield, Southgate (Mr. Twigg) on 14 April 1999,Official Report, column 253.
§ Mr. BercowTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if he will make a statement on(a) the advertising and public relations costs incurred in the promotion of the New Deal for the long-term unemployed in 1998–99 and (b) his estimate of the cost in 1999–2000. [89427]
§ Mr. Andrew SmithThe total cost of publicising New Deal for 18 to 24-year-olds and 25 plus in 1998–99 was £9,776,188 as shown in the Departmental Report. The current forecast of spend in 1999–2000 is £1,750,000. There is also a balance of £1,952,000 from 1998–99 that is available for years 1999–2000, 2000–01, 2001–02; with year end flexibility of the Windfall Tax.
§ Mr. BercowTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what reports he receives on, and what assessment he has made of, the quality of recruits to the New Deal. [89425]
§ Mr. Andrew SmithNew Deal Statistical First Releases are published monthly covering 18–24 and 25 plus long-term unemployed clients and lone parents. These Statistical Releases give a range of information on the characteristics of recruits to New Deal, including educational achievement on entry, length of time on benefit, special needs, disability and ethnic group.
319WIn addition, the wider evaluation of New Deal includes qualitative studies of the experience of individuals, based on interviews at each stage of the New Deal process. Copies of published evaluation findings are held in the Library.
§ Mr. BercowTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what independent assessment he has commissioned of the quality of information about the New Deal. [89426]
§ Mr. Andrew SmithPublished statistics on the New Deal for unemployed people and the New Deal for Lone Parents are drawn from the New Deal Evaluation Database held by the Employment Service. These statistics are published under the auspices of the Government Statistical Service and conform to the standards laid out for the publication of official statistics—namely, that such statistics are processed, analysed, and disseminated in an unbiased, timely and independent manner.
In addition, the Database has been subject to rigorous internal checking with the result that no systematic errors have been identified. This conclusion is supported by a range of external contractors with whom the Database is shared.
§ Mr. BercowTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what discussions he has had with representatives of the Employment Service about the number of employers to be contacted about the New Deal. [89564]
§ Mr. Andrew SmithAs part of my regular discussions with the Employment Service on New Deal, a full and active campaign of advertising, mailshots and targeted direct contacts with employers was agreed.
§ Mr. BercowTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if he will list the other known reasons for the departure of 9 per cent. of young New Deal participants as referred to in his Department's Statistical First Release /12/1999. [89418]
§ Mr. Andrew SmithThe other known reasons for young people leaving New Deal as referred to in the Statistical First Release are:
- gone abroad
- claimant deceased
- entered full-time education (other than as a New Deal option) approved training
- starting non-New Deal Government Supported Training in prison/custody
- attending court
- on the witness protection programme
- partner working
- partner claiming
- client signed off voluntarily due to a fraud investigation
- client signed off when a JSA disallowance applied
- or client is over the maximum savings.
§ Mr. BercowTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what steps he is taking to increase the number of people who became self-employed after completing their participation in the New Deal. [89429]
320W
§ Mr. Andrew SmithWe are spreading best practice drawn from the successful experience of the increasing numbers already moving towards self-employment through New Deal.
§ Mr. BercowTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what steps he proposes to take to increase the supply of New Deal recruits. [89423]
§ Mr. Andrew SmithEligibility for the New Deal for Young People, and hence the number of young people taking part, is primarily determined by the number of young people who reach six months unemployment, although there is provision for early entry for young people with special needs including those with literacy and numeracy difficulties, disabled young people and ex-offenders.
§ Mr. BercowTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what assessment he has made of the role of the Employment Service to date in the development of the New Deal. [89424]
§ Mr. Andrew SmithThe Employment Service has played a central role in getting the New Deal off to a good start: the total number of young people going into jobs had by the end of April 1999 reached 105,000; in addition over 70,000 young people have been helped to improve their employability through training and work experience; and more than 50,000 employers have signed up to support New Deal. These encouraging achievements reflect the great efforts which the Employment Service and its partners are putting into the New Deal.
§ Mr. BercowTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what assessment he has made of the level of administration required to be carried out by employers for the operation of the New Deal. [89565]
§ Mr. Andrew SmithThe administration required of employers who are supporting New Deal was designed to keep bureaucracy to a minimum, while providing an audit trail to ensure public funds are protected and Value for Money achieved. We keep administrative process under review including examination by external consultants.
§ Mr. BercowTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what plans he has to change the respective shares of resources for the New Deal to be allocated to those aged (i) under and (ii) over 25 years. [89420]
§ Mr. Andrew SmithThe precise allocation of resources between our Welfare to Work programmes are kept under constant review. They are altered when necessary in light of experience of the programmes and labour market developments.
§ Mr. BercowTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what recent representations he has received from(a) the Trades Union Congress, (b) the Forum of Private Business, (c) the CBI, (d) the British Chamber of Commerce and (e) the Federation of Small Businesses regarding the New Deal for the long term unemployed; and what assessment he has made of them. [89428]
§ Mr. Andrew SmithThe Department maintains a continuing dialogue on the New Deal with a wide range of organisations including those representing businesses large and small, and trade unions. The Government also 321W receive valuable advice from the New Deal Task Force, chaired by Sir Peter Davis, and which includes members drawn from business, trade unions and the voluntary sector.
§ Mr. BercowTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what steps he is taking to increase the participation of(a) his Department and (b) other Government Departments in the New Deal. [89431]
§ Mr. Andrew SmithWe have taken a number of steps to increase further New Deal participation by Government Departments. These include exchanging information and good practice through Departmental Establishment Officers, setting up a sub-group of the New Deal Task Force to propose ways to strengthen public sector involvement, and providing support and advice from the322W Employment Service. A number of Departments are also participating by working closely with New Deal in its promotion to key service and industrial sectors, eg construction, hospitality, retailing and manufacturing.