HC Deb 22 May 2003 vol 405 cc1005-6W
Mr. Ben Chapman

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will make a statement on the role of a personal adviser in dealing with young people to be targeted within the Positive Activities for Young People scheme. [114202]

Mr. Ivan Lewis

The Department for Education and Skills is funding 435 (full-time equivalent) adviser posts within the Positive Activities for Young People (PAYP) scheme. The role of these advisers will be to provide support to an agreed list of hardest to help young people. They will work to remove barriers to young people's participation in PAYP during the school holidays, to build relationships with them and to support the young people back to education, training or employment at the end of the holiday periods.

Mr. Ben Chapman

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will make a statement on the number of young people classed as at risk for the purposes of being targeted for the Positive Activities for Young People scheme. [114206]

Mr. Ivan Lewis

A minimum of 22,000 full-time places will be provided (a full-time place being from 12 noon to 9 pm), with a minimum of 6,200 receiving dedicated support from Connexions Personal Adviser Key Workers. These key workers will support an agreed list of hard to help young people to remove barriers to participation, to build relationships, to help the young people access the most suitable provision and to support them back into education or training at the end of holiday periods. These young people will be identified both by referral agencies and by targeting areas of geographical disadvantage. We expect that the programme will provide places for a wider group of young people in each community than those requiring key worker support.