§ Mr. WrayTo ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps the Government have taken to encourage more employers to join the New Deal scheme. [74404]
§ Mr. Nicholas BrownWe have been successful in encouraging employers to support and participate in the New Deal. Over 99,000 employers have signed up to the New Deal and many more have taken on New Deal participants without signing up for the programme.
We recognise the central role employers have to play in achieving our goal of creating and sustaining employment opportunities for all, and we are continually seeking to involve employers even further in the New Deal.
This year we have taken steps to improve the flexibility of the New Deal to encourage employers to recruit more participants. For example, we have given employers more flexibility in the training they provide for New Deal clients. Employers can now give New Deal clients their own in-house training instead of having to offer external training which may not meet the needs of the job. Later this year we will be introducing "Recruit" into the New Deal for Young People. This will give small employers more payment flexibility in the Employment Option.
In August 2001, we appointed 140 Local Account Managers in Jobcentre Plus to help improve the services provided to employers and to engage with more employers to increase job opportunities.
The National Employment Panel (formerly known as the New Deal Task Force), which is an employer-led body, continues to provide Ministers with independent advice on the design, delivery and performance of the New Deals and our other welfare to work initiatives. 648W The National Employment Panel Employer Coalitions ensure that employers can contribute to services at the regional and local level.
With the advice and guidance of the National Employment Panel, we have developed Ambition initiatives to help unemployed and disadvantaged people, including those on the New Deal, gain the right skills to meet the specific needs of employers in key sectors, such as retail, construction, energy and information technology. These initiatives are employer-led and developed to employer specifications.
§ Mrs. Irene AdamsTo ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people have found permanent employment as a result of New Deal for(a) long-term unemployed 25 plus, (b) lone parents, (c) disabled people and (d) 50 plus, in each year since these schemes have been introduced. [73706]
§ Mr. Nicholas BrownThe available information is in the tables.
New Deal 25 plus Total number of people moving into sustained jobs 1998–99 10,010 1999–00 23,810 2000–01 22,010 2001–02 28,410 2002–03 (up to June 2002) 9,190 Note:
A sustained job in New Deal 25 plus is defined as one lasting more than 13 weeks.
New Deal for Disabled People Total number of people moving into sustained jobs 2001–02 245 2002–03 (up to July 2002) 706 Notes:
A sustained job in New Deal for Disabled People is defined as one lasting 26 weeks out of a 39 week period. New Deal for Disabled People was launched nationally in July 2001. Prior to that, pilots beginning in September 1998 had helped 8,242 people into jobs (sustained and unsustained).
Separate data for sustained jobs are not available for New Deal 50 plus or New Deal for Lone Parents. The figures for these programmes which follow therefore relate to all people moving into jobs.
New Deal 50 plus Total number of people moving into jobs 2000–01 33,020 2001–02 33,960 2002–03 (up to June 2002) 8,340
New Deal for Lone Parents Total number of people moving into jobs 1998–99 7,240 1999–00 38,300 2000–01 44,600 2001–02 46,920 2002–03 (up to June 2002) 15,170 Source:
New Deal Evaluation Database