§ Mr. HealdTo ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) which local authority areas have been selected to receive additional points in respect of the Jobcentre Plus Job Entry Target set by his Department; what criteria were applied when selecting the areas; whom he consulted in respect of the selection; and if he will make a statement; [82508]
(2) what the criteria are by which additional points are scored in relation to the Jobcentre Plus Job Entry Target scheme; and if he will make a statement; [82511]
(3) what criteria he applied when determining the Jobcentre Plus Job Entry Target points score to be given to each type of priority client; and what guidance has been given to Jobcentre Plus staff on the way in which such clients should be prioritised in relation to (a) other priority client groups and (b) other clients. [82513]
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§ Mr. Nicholas Brown[holding answer 25 November 2002]: The Jobcentre Plus job entry targets help focus the agency's efforts and resources on helping those people on whom we want to target more support to move from welfare into work. They include lone parents, disabled people and those living in the most disadvantaged areas of the country.
The way in which job entry and additional point scores have been allocated sends clear signals about our priorities to all Jobcentre Plus managers and staff who have been informed about them in writing.
The 60 local authority areas attracting additional job entry point scores are in the table. These local authorities were chosen because they either have the highest unemployment rates or the highest minority ethnic populations. We consulted other Government Departments, the National Employment Panel and key stakeholders in deciding on these criteria.
Local Authorities with highest unemployment rates Local Authorities with highest minority ethnic population Blaenau Gwent Barnet Caerphilly Birmingham Dundee City Bradford Easington Brent East Ayrshire Camden Glasgow City Coventry Hackney Croydon Halton Ealing Hartlepool Enfield Islington Greenwich Kingston upon Hull Hammersmith and Fulham Knowsley Hariney Liverpool Harrow Manchester Hillingdon Merthyr Tydfil Hounslow Middlesbrough Kensington and Chelsea Neath Port Talbot Kirklees Newcastle-upon-Tyne Lambeth Newham Leeds North Lanarkshire Leicester City Nottingham Lewisham Pembrokeshire Luton Redcar and Cleveland Merton Rhondda, Cynon, Taff Redbridge Salford Sandwell South Tyneside Sheffield Southwark Waltham Forest Sunderland Wandsworth Tower Hamlets City of Westminster West Dunbartonshire Wolverhampton