§ 16. Mr. MichaelTo ask the Secretary of State for Wales what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Education and Employment about extending the new deal in Wales. [155507]
§ Mr. Paul MurphyI meet regularly with my Cabinet colleagues to discuss a wide range of issues, including the New Deal.
In his Budget statement on 7 March, the Chancellor announced a strengthening of the Government's Welfare to Work Programme through the extension of the already successful New Deal scheme.
The schemes to benefit from this extension will be: New Deal 25+—this will make all over-25s who have been on Jobseekers Allowance for at least 18 months eligible for the New Deal; New Deal for Lone Parents—the extension will potentially help around 50,000 lone parents in Wales; New Deal for Disabled People—which will be extended to all those claiming invalidity benefit.