§ Linda PerhamTo ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what plans he has to improve the effectiveness of the New Deal for Young People in areas with the lowest success rates. [80540]
§ Mr. Nicholas BrownThe New Deal has helped over 380,000 young people move into work throughout the country.
733WWe are building on the programme's success, focusing more help on the most disadvantaged unemployed people in the most deprived areas of the country. We are, for example: introducing StepUP pilots in 20 deprived areas to provide transitional jobs for people who remain unemployed after the New Deal; starting to roll out the second phase of progress2work, providing recovering drug misusers with the extra help they need to move into work; running the Minority Ethnic Outreach programme in wards within five areas to strengthen the support available to jobless people from minority ethnic communities; and starting pilots in nine areas giving extra support for other disadvantaged groups such as ex-offenders, alcohol misusers and homeless people.
In addition, Action Teams for Jobs and Employment Zones are operating in areas with persistently high levels of unemployment, and have so far helped nearly 78,000 people into work. We are currently developing proposals to extend Employment Zone help to other client groups including New Deal returners.
§ Mr. HealdTo ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) what research his Department has undertaken into the sustainability of employment under the New Deal; and if he will place it in the Library; [84437]
(2) if he will make a statement on the sustainability of employment under the New Deal. [84438]
§ Mr. Nicholas Brown[holding answer 2 December 2002]: The New Deals have already helped nearly three-quarters of a million people move into work, the vast majority of whom have entered sustained jobs. For example, up to September 2002, nearly 80 per cent, of people moving into work through the New Deal for Young People and the New Deal 25 plus entered sustained jobs.
We have in place a wide-ranging programme of evaluation of the New Deals. This evaluation examines the benefits that the New Deals are providing, including the sustainability of employment. Evaluation reports are placed are placed in the Library as they are published.
Information on the number of people moving into sustained jobs through the New Deal for Young People and New Deal 25 plus are published quarterly in the Statistical First Release. These are also placed in the Library as they are published.