HC Deb 25 November 2002 vol 395 cc16-7W
36. Huw Irranca-Davies

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the impact of the Action for Jobs programme. [81306]

Mr. Nicholas Brown

The 63 Action Teams for Jobs are having a positive impact on the lives of disadvantaged people in the most economically deprived areas of the country.

By the end of September this year they had helped over 50,000 jobless people into work. An evaluation study of the first year of the initiative found that 80 per cent, of people who found jobs through Action Teams moved into sustained jobs.

The Action Team which operates in my hon. Friend's constituency has been very successful, helping almost 1,000 people move into jobs.

We are building on Action Teams' success. Earlier this year we introduced the Employment Projects and Transport Projects Funds, worth £2 million and £5 million a year respectively. Teams can bid for additional money from these funds to support initiatives that will benefit their local communities.