HC Deb 24 July 2000 vol 354 cc429-30W
Dr. Kumar

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how much has been allocated in the current financial year on developing the New Deal for Disabled People; how many people will benefit from the scheme (a) nationally, (b) on Teesside and (c) in the constituency of Middlesbrough, South and Cleveland, East; and if he will make a statement. [128637]

Ms Hodge

For 2000–01, £640,000 has been allocated to my Department to develop the New Deal for Disabled People. To date the pilot phase has consisted of 24 Innovative Schemes and a Personal Adviser Service in 12 areas, covering around a quarter of a million people on Incapacity Benefit, and including South Tyneside in the North-East. Since autumn 1998 (when the pilots began) to the end of March 2000, the latest figures available, nearly £3 million had been spent on the Innovative Schemes and over £10 million on the 12 Personal Adviser pilot areas. During the same period 2,755 people had found jobs as a result of the pilots (3,454 to the end of May 2000). Together with colleagues at the Department of Social Security we are currently considering lessons learned from the pilot and hope to make an announcement in the near future about our plans for national extension.

Mr. Allan

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how many people with more than one disability have joined the New Deal for the Disabled scheme. [131519]

Ms Hodge

The information is not available in the precise form requested. We have been piloting the New Deal for Disabled People (NDDP) since autumn 1998. People coming forward to date have a wide range of disabilities: many have more than one disability. The extra help and support provided takes account of the individual needs of each person who volunteers to take part in the NDDP pilots. The latest figures, to the end of May, show that 12,199 disabled people on Incapacity Benefits have joined the programme so far by participating in the 24 innovative schemes or by drawing up an agreed work-focused action plan with a personal adviser in 12 NDDP pilot areas. I am pleased to say that 3,454 people have found jobs as a result.