§ Mrs. Helen ClarkTo ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will make additional funding available to New Deal providers to help trainees with(a) basic skills and (b) English speaking. [36403]
§ Mr. Nicholas BrownLong-term unemployed people who need help with basic skills or the English language are identified by personal advisers during the Gateway period of the New Deal. Those with a need can then be referred to help within the Gateway, including short basic skills courses. People who need more intensive, longer-term assistance are offered help through the Education and Training New Deal option which can provide courses lasting up to 26 weeks.
Basic skills or English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) training is provided in response to an individual"s needs. The Employment Service contracts locally with New Deal providers to meet the needs of their particular client group and provides sufficient funding for this to be achieved.
426WThe help provided through the New Deal is an important part of the Government"s strategy to improve literacy and numeracy skills. A new curriculum in ESOL was launched in February and will further improve the quality of language provision available to those who need it. We will be working to embed the new curriculum into our employment programmes.