HL Deb 21 February 2000 vol 610 cc5-6WA
Lord Mason of Barnsley

asked Her Majesty's Government:

How many people have opted for training and self-employment within the New Deal, giving figures separately for England and South Yorkshire. [HL995]

Baroness Blackstone

Under the New Deal for Young People there are four options, all of which involve some form of training. Figures for these to the end of November 1999 are as follows:

Options England South Yorkshire
Full Time Education and Training 53,020 2,855
Voluntary Sector 20,540 657
Environment Task Force 18,350 872
Employment 20,540 1,142

For the Self-Employment Route within New Deal we gather clerical information for Great Britain. The latest provisional figures to the end of January 2000 show that nationally 1,671 young people have started test trading under the Self Employment Option, and 346 young people have gone into independent self-employment. This figure is not broken down to separate regions.