§ Mr. George OsborneTo ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) pursuant to the pre-Budget report, paragraph 4.62, what independent assessment has been undertaken to learn from the best current New Deal provision; [145114]
(2) pursuant to the pre-Budget report, paragraph 4.63, what independent assessment has been undertaken to consider the scope for simplifying current processes to make systems easier for (a) employers, (b) clients, (c) advisers and (d) providers. [145115]
§ Mr. BrowneWe have commissioned a large amount of independent research on the New Deals including: "Synthesising the evidence on flexible delivery" (W171: ECOTEC and Insite, October 2003); "New Deal for Young People: Introducing a more 'tailored' approach" (W164: ECOTEC and Insite, September 2003); and "New Deal for people aged 25 and over: A Synthesis Report" (W163: Policy Studies Institute, June 2003), which are available in the Library. Independent research has not been undertaken to look specifically at simplifying current processes.
We will be looking critically at our administration of employment programmes to identify whether there is scope for simplification.