§ 22. Mr. BercowTo ask the Secretary of State for Wales what discussions he has had with the First Secretary on the implementation of the new deal for young people in Wales. [122198]
§ Mr. Paul MurphyI meet the First Secretary to discuss Welsh employment issues, and my hon. Friend, the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Wales holds quarterly liaison meetings with the Assembly Secretary for Post-16 Education and Training. The New Deal is a Central Government initiative with programmes delivered mainly through the Employment Service, so my hon. Friend and I are also in regular contact with ministerial colleagues on the subject. I am pleased to note that 27,131 young people in Wales have joined the New Deal programme since it was launched in the West Wales Pathfinder in January 1998, and that there has been a corresponding 61 per cent. fall in the number of 18 to 24-year-olds unemployed and claiming Jobseeker's Allowance for six months or more.