HC Deb 15 June 2000 vol 351 cc692-4W
Mr. Allan

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment (1) how many people have joined the subsidised employment option of the New Deal since implementation, by unit of delivery; how many and what percentage of these(a) completed their programme before leaving the New Deal, (b) left their programme before completing it and (c) left at any stage for unknown destinations; [113555]

  1. (2) how many people have joined the Environmental Task Force option of the New Deal since implementation, by unit of delivery; how many and what percentage of these (a) completed their programme before leaving the New Deal, (b) left their programme before completing it and (c) left at any stage for unknown destinations; [113554]
  2. (3) how many people have joined the voluntary sector option of the New Deal since implementation, by unit of delivery; how many and what percentage of these (a) completed their programme before leaving the New Deal, (b) left their programme before completing it and (c) left at any stage for unknown destinations; [113556]
  3. (4) how many people have joined the full-time education and training option of the New Deal for 18 to 24-year-olds since implementation, by unit of delivery; how many and what percentage of these (a) completed their courses before leaving the New Deal, (b) left their courses before completing it and (c) left at any stage for unknown destinations; [113557]
  4. (5) pursuant to his answer to the hon. Member for Sheffield, Hallam of 27 March 2000, Official Report, column 40W, on the new deal for 18 to 24-year-olds, how many (a) 18 to 24-year-olds have left the New Deal for young people to jobs lasting less than 13 weeks and (b) 18 to 24-year-olds have left the full-time education and training option of the New Deal for young people to jobs lasting less than 13 weeks, broken down by unit of delivery; [117246]
  5. (6) if he will list by unit of delivery how many people joined the voluntary sector option of the New Deal for 18 to 24-year-olds between January 1998 and the end of July 1999; and how many of these (a) completed their course before leaving the New Deal and (b) left their course before completing the New Deal; [118220]
    6. 693W
  6. (7) if he will list by unit of delivery how many people left the voluntary sector option of the New Deal for 18 to 24-year-olds between January 1998 and July 1999 for (a) destination unknown, (b) other known destination, (c) sustained unsubsidised employment, (d) jobs lasting less than 13 weeks and (e) other benefits; [118221]
  7. (8) how many people left the employment option of the New Deal for 18 to 24-year-olds, by unit of delivery, between January 1998 and July 1999 for (a) destination unknown, (b) another known destination, (c) sustained unsubsidised employment, (d) jobs lasting less than 13 weeks and (e) other benefits; [118493]
  8. (9) how many people joined the Employment option of the New Deal for 18 to 24-year-olds, by unit of delivery, between January 1998 and the end of July 1999; and how many of these (a) completed and (b) left their course before completing the New Deal; [118494]
  9. (10) how many people, by unit of delivery, left the Environmental Task Force option of the New Deal for young people aged 18 to 24 years for (a) unknown destination, (b) other known destination, (c) sustained unsubsidised employment, (d) jobs lasting less than 13 weeks and (e) other benefits; [118701]
  10. (11) how many people, by unit of delivery, joined the Environmental Task Force option of the New Deal for 18 to 24-year-olds between January 1998 and the end of July 1999; how many of these (a) completed their course before leaving the New Deal and (b) left their course before completing the New Deal; [118705]
  11. (12) when the hon. Member for Sheffield, Hallam will receive replies to his questions of 6 April, 7 April and 10 April. [123282]

Ms Jowell

[holding answer 3 April 2000]The information showing, by Unit of Delivery, cumulative data from the start of the New Deal to the end of March 2000, the latest date for which information is available, is contained in a number of tables, copies of which have been placed in the Libraries.

The tables show: the number of starts to each of the four options the number of New Deal leavers who have taken part in each of the four options—and their destinations on leaving the New Deal.

At a national level, this information is shown in the monthly Government Statistical Service New Deal Statistical First Release. Destinations on leaving New Deal are categorised as: sustained unsubsidised employment transfers to other benefits leavers to other known destinations JSA leavers to unknown destinations

Young people who move on from the New Deal for jobs that last less than 13 weeks rejoin the programme immediately when they renew their claims for Jobseeker's Allowance. They cannot therefore be described as having left the New Deal.

Of those who have left the New Deal for known destinations, having taken part in options, including leavers from the Follow Through stage of New Deal, 46 per cent. found work. We do not know the destination on leaving New Deal for 28 per cent. of those who have participated in options. People leaving the New Deal are not required to tell us where they are going if they cease to claim benefits. In order to know as much as possible about the destinations of people leaving the New Deal the Government are conducting further surveys of those who leave the New Deal for unknown destinations. The results will be available later this year. So far surveys have shown that the pattern of actual destinations for those recorded as leaving the New Deal for unknown destinations is in line with the pattern among those whose destinations were known.

Comprehensive information on whether young people left their options having completed them or before having done so is not collected in that form. The New Deal aims to help unemployed people to move as quickly as possible from welfare into employment. Many young people will leave their New Deal options before completing them because they have found jobs in the regular labour market and are no longer unemployed. Young people do not therefore need to complete their New Deal options in order to succeed in the programme.