§ Mr. WillettsTo ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many benefit claimants have been sanctioned because they have refused to take part in the pilot scheme to improve the literacy and numeracy skills of long-term unemployed people. [88216]
§ Malcolm Wicks[holding answer 19 December 2002]: Between September 2001 and April 2002, we piloted a number of approaches aimed at encouraging greater take up of basic skills provision by people claiming jobseeker's allowance. These included testing different mechanisms to identify those with basic skills needs, and the use of financial incentives and/or benefit sanctions to encourage the take up of training.
In north Nottinghamshire we piloted the use of benefit sanctions if a client refused an offer of training or left training early without good cause. In Leeds we combined the use of sanctions with financial incentives of £20 per week on top of their benefit for clients taking up training, and £100 for those achieving a basic skills qualification. In the two pilots, 1,623 clients had a possible basic skills need identified. Of these, 18 had sanctions applied, three because they failed to attend a basic skills assessment and 15 because they failed to attend training or left early without good cause.