§ Mr. CousinsTo ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions which wards of the City of Newcastle upon Tyne are covered by the services of Employment Action teams; what criteria were used to determine the coverage of the teams; who set those criteria; and whether they are under review. [51486]
§ Mr. Nicholas BrownThe wards being targeted by the Newcastle upon Tyne Action Team for Jobs are Monkchester, West City, Walker, Byker, Elswick, Benwell, Scotswood, Woolsington, Fawdon, and Kenton. They were selected because their working age employment rate was 58.5 per cent or below. The selection criteria were set by labour market economists in the former Department for Education and Employment and agreed by the Treasury. The wards targeted by the Action Team will be reviewed if there is significant depopulation in any of them.