§ Jackie BallardTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what amount and percentage of the proceeds of the windfall tax allocated in the 1998 Budget report [HC620] to(a) the New Deal for 18–24 year-olds, (b) the New Deal for the long-term unemployed, (c) the New Deal for lone parents and (d) the New Deal for the sick and disabled, for expenditure during the 1998–99 financial year were (i) spent during that year and (ii) carried forward for future years, giving reasons for any underspend. [95086]
§ Ms JowellThe table shows the amount of windfall tax set out in the 1998 Budget Report allocated to the Department for Education and Employment, for the New Deal programmes shown, in 1998–99 together with expenditure and carry forward.
Finally, the success of the New Deal for young people itself contributed to underspends.
The programme aims to help as many young people as possible to leave its Gateway for jobs. The original planning assumption was that 60 per cent. would need to 911W move on from the New Deal Gateway into one of the four options. The Gateway performed much better in 1998–99 and some 55 per cent. of entrants were leaving New Deal without needing to move first into an option. Fewer young people into options has the effect of reducing expenditure on option provision, allowances and Follow-Through.
Expenditure on the New Deal is, of course, planned over the Parliament as a whole and unspent resources in any single year are available for spending on the New Deal in future years.