§ Paul HolmesTo ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will list the research conducted by his Department comparing a New Deal 25 plus unit of delivery and an Employment Zone in terms of(a) outcomes, (b) costs and (c) other factors; if he will place the findings in the Library; and if he will make a statement.[140481]
§ Mr. BrowneAs with all our welfare to work programmes, Employment Zones are subject to extensive evaluation. The following reports have been published and placed in the Library: Working Age Evaluation Report 124—a qualitative study of Zone operations, published in July 2002; Working Age Evaluation Report 139—a qualitative study of Employment Zone and New Deal 25 Plus Personal Advisers, published in August 2002; Working Age Report 175—an economic study on the wider labour market impact of Employment Zones, and Working Age Report 176—a cohort study comparing characteristics and outcomes of Employment Zone participants with those of similar long-term unemployed clients published on 28 November 2003.
418WReport No. 176 compares the outcomes of Employment Zone and New Deal 25 Plus. However, this study does not provide us with a national evaluation of New Deal 25 Plus, but compares Employment Zone outcomes with New Deal 25 Plus outcomes in disadvantaged areas which are similar to the Employment Zone areas.
We keep all our programmes under on-going review to ensure they provide the most effective approach to helping long-term unemployed people into work.