§ 11. Mr. BradyTo ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will make a statement on the effectiveness of the New Deal for 18 to 24-year-olds in Wales. [126704]
§ Mr. HansonThe New Deal has more than proved how successful it has been by achieving beyond its original target of 13,000 by employing 14,400 18 to 24-year-olds up to March 2000.
Since the New Deal was launched throughout Wales, there has been a 62 per cent. fall in the number of 18 to 24-year-olds unemployed and claiming Job Seeker's Allowance for six months or more.
§ 24. Mr. Martyn JonesTo ask the Secretary of State for Wales what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Education and Employment on the New Deal in Wales. [126717]
§ Mr. HansonLast month I attended a New Deal checkpoint meeting with other ministerial colleagues and colleagues from the devolved administrations, chaired by my right hon. Friend the Minister for Employment, Welfare to Work and Equal Opportunities. We welcomed the success to date of New Deal, which had succeeded in securing jobs for some 21,500 people in Wales by the end of March this year, and discussed ways of building on this success in the future.
§ Mr. John SmithTo ask the Secretary of State for Wales what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Education and Employment on the operation of the New Deal in Wales. [126707]
§ Mr. HansonLast month I attended a New Deal checkpoint meeting with other ministerial colleagues and colleagues from the devolved administrations, chaired by my right hon. Friend the Minister for Employment, Welfare to Work and Equal Opportunities.
The Government's aim has always been to reconnect people with the labour market, so that they can play a full and productive part in society. At the end of March 2000 over 21,000 people had entered employment through the New Deal programme in Wales.