§ Mr. Cousins:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many Jobseeker's Allowance claimants are signed up for further education courses for less than 16 hours; and what plans he has to extend the hours of coursework acceptable within his Department's guidelines. [142585]
§ Mr. Browne[holding answer 9 December 2003]: Information about the number of jobseekers who are engaged in part-time courses for less than 16 hours a week is not routinely collected and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
695WPeople in receipt of Jobseeker's Allowance can undertake part-time learning provided they are available for and actively seeking work and have a valid Jobseeker's Agreement which takes their learning into consideration. We have no plans to extend the number of hours that are regarded as part-time learning.
The Social Security system is not intended to finance education—this is a matter for the educational authorities and the Department for Education and Skills. Most students engaged in full-time education are not entitled to Jobseeker's Allowance.
Jobcentre Plus has a wide range of programmes, such as the New Deals and Work Based Learning for Adults (in England), to help jobseekers gain the skills they need to help them find work. For people who wish to pursue full-time learning, there are various Adult Learning funding options available through the Department for Education and Skills.