§ Mr. BercowTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many people were employed by her Department under the new deal for the over-25s; and at what cost to the public funds in 2001–02. [21688]
§ Estelle MorrisInformation follows on the number of people currently employed by my Department under the new deal for over-25s. New deal recruits take up existing vacancies so extra costs are limited to the subsidy paid under the programme, where appropriate, and any additional training and development which may be needed, the cost of the latter cannot be readily identified.
I confirm for the period 2001–02 there are currently four new deal participants aged 25 plus employed in the Department for Education and Skills. The total cost to the public purse for this period in employer subsidies is approximately £1,440.00.