§ Mr. Paul MarsdenTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how many people aged over 50 years are eligible for guaranteed minimum take-home pay under the New Deal for the over 50s in Shrewsbury and Atcham; and if he will make a statement. [131147]
§ Ms JowellNew Deal 50 plus is a major new programme of personal advice, support and financial help for people over 50 who are looking for work. The programme is aimed at unemployed and economically inactive people in receipt of benefit for six months or 197W more and their dependent partners. The following table shows the number of people who are directly eligible for New Deal 50 plus. However, in addition, dependent partners of these benefit recipients may also be eligible, as will be men aged 60–65 receiving National Insurance credits automatically.
The £170 minimum income guarantee applies to those people going into full-time work and additionally receiving the Employment Credit of £60 per week. It is not possible to say how many people will be eligible for the Employment Credit, but our assumption is that about 90 per cent. of those who apply will be eligible for this important new support for people aged 50 or over.
Income Support, Jobseekers Allowance, Incapacity Benefit and Severe Disablement Allowance recipients aged 50 or over with a current claim duration of six months or more, as at February 2000 Thousand Shrewsbury and Atcham Income Support 2.8 Jobseekers Allowance 0.1 Incapacity Benefit 1.4 Severe Disablement Allowance 10.2 1 Numbers are based on very few sample cases and are subject to a high degree of sampling error. These figures should be used as a guide to the current situation only. Notes:
1. Income Support figures exclude claimants who also receive IB/SDA
2. IB figures exclude those persons receiving National Insurance Credits only
3. Jobseekers Allowance figure for June 2000
§ Ms BuckTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if he will make a statement on the impact of the New Deals for(a) 18 to 24-year-olds and (b) lone parents in (i) Westminster and (ii) Kensington. [130230]
§ Ms JowellThe New Deal for Young people is aimed at people aged 18–24 who have been claiming unemployment benefits for six months or more. Claimant unemployment among this group has fallen by 56 per cent. since April 1998 when the New Deal was introduced. Part of this is due to the delivery of a strong and stable economy, but the New Deal for Young People has helped unemployment to fall even faster. The 56 per cent. fall in youth long-term unemployment compares with a fall of 18 per cent. in total unemployment, 23 per cent. in total youth (18–24) unemployment and 26 per cent. in the total number unemployed for six months or more. The effect of the New Deal is confirmed by independent research from the National Institute of Economic and Social Research.
It is not possible to measure the New Deal effect exactly in each area of the country. However, in Westminster and Kensington the falls in unemployment among the New Deal client group have also been substantially faster than for other groups. In Westminster in the two years since April 1998 claimant unemployment amongst those aged 18–24, unemployed for six months or more, has fallen by 43 per cent. from 418 to 238. This compares with a fall of 16 per cent. in total unemployment, 25 per cent. in total youth (18–24) unemployment, and 18 per cent. in the total number unemployed for six months or more.
198WIn Kensington and Chelsea, over the same period, claimant unemployment among those aged 18–24, unemployed for six months or more, has fallen by 41 per cent. from 280 to 165. This compares with a fall of 23 per cent. in total unemployment, 23 per cent. in total youth (18–24) unemployment, and 28 per cent. in the total number unemployed for six months or more.
New Deal for Lone Parents aims to help lone parents in receipt of Income Support to improve their job readiness and help them take up paid work. Independent evaluation by the Institute for Employment Research suggests it has attracted substantial numbers of participants and secured very positive feedback from them. Analysis has also shown that after 18 months more people had left IS in NDLP prototype areas than in comparison areas.
It is also not possible to measure the effect of New Deal for Lone Parents exactly in each area of the country. Local information on NDLP performance is produced for parliamentary constituencies. Up to the end of April 2000, in the Cities of London and Westminster constituency, 95 lone parents had started on NDLP, of which 18 had moved into work, while in the Regent's Park and North Kensington and Kensington and Chelsea constituencies, 388 had started on the programme and 80 had moved into a job.
§ Mr. CoxTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how many(a) men and (b) women aged between 18–24 years have entered the New Deal within the Greater London Authority area to date. [130770]
§ Ms JowellThe latest figures to April 2000 show that 47,850 young men and 24,200 young women have entered the New Deal in the Greater London area. 27,470 of these young people have gained jobs which is a significant contribution to our being on target to meet the manifesto commitment to help 250,000 young people into jobs through the New Deal. At the end of April we had reached a total of 216,200.