HC Deb 23 June 2004 vol 422 cc1440-2W
Mr. Willetts

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people on the(a) new Deal for Young People and (b) the New Deal for 25 Plus have had their jobseeker's allowance reduced in each year for (a) two weeks, (b) four weeks and (c) 26 weeks. [177550]

Jane Kennedy

Information on the duration of benefit sanctions imposed on people participating in New Deal for Young People and New Deal 25 plus is not available.

The Social Security Advisory Committee identified in late 2003 that work needed to be undertaken to review and evaluate the Sanctions Regime and DWP is nearing completion on a new Sanctions Database which will be operational following testing and evaluation. This will provide detailed sanction MI on a regular basis and information will be published in the Library.

Mr. Willetts

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people on the(a) new Deal for Young People and (b) the New Leal for 25 Plus have had sanctions on their jobseeker's allowance in each year since 1998–99. [177551]

Jane Kennedy

Information about the number of sanctions applied to participants in New Deal 25 plus is not available. The Social Security Advisory Committee identified in late 2003 that work needed to be undertaken to review and evaluate the Sanctions Regime and DWP is nearing completion on a new Sanctions Database which will be operational following testing and evaluation. This will provide detailed sanction MI on a regular basis and information will be published in the Library.

Information on the number of sanctions applied to participants in New Deal for Young People is in the following table.

Number of sanctions applied to participants in New Deal for Young People
Number of sanctions imposed1
1998–99 8,030
1999–2000 18,764
2000–01 17,507
2001–02 12,972
2002–03 13,416
2003–04 12,816
1Some people may have been sanctioned more than once during a year.
Source:
Labour Market Statistics–Analysis of Sector Decisions.

Full information on sanction decisions relating to jobseeker's allowance and New Deal for Young People can be found in the report "Labour Market Statistics—Analysis of Sector Decisions". Copies of quarterly and annual reports are available in the Library.

Mr. Willetts

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people participated in each New Deal scheme; and how many of these received a benefit sanction each year, broken down by(a) New Deal programme and (b) type of sanction. [177555]

Jane Kennedy

Information on the number of people who have participated in each New Deal scheme is in the following table.

Number of New Deal Participants1
New Deal for Young People2 831,350
New Deal 25 plus3 496,790
New Deal for Lone Parents4 459,070
New Deal for Disabled Peoples5 69,460
New Deal for Partners6 7,480
New Deal 50 plus7 98,040

1All figures relate to individuals who have started each programme.

2 January 1998 to December 2003.

3 April 1998 to December 2003.

4 October 1998 to December 2003.

5 Pilots launched in September 1998. National network of NDDP job brokers launched from July 2001. Up to December 2003.

6Launched as New Deal for Partners of Unemployed People in April 1999. Extended to partners of other benefit recipients in April 2001. Up to December 2003.

7New Deal 50 plus was introduced in nine pathfinder areas on 25 October 1999 and rolled out nationally on 3 April 2000. Up to March 2003.

Source:

New Deal Evaluation Database, Information and Analysis Directorate, DWP.

Within the New Deal programme, benefit sanctions are only applied within the New Deal for Young People and New Deal 25 plus. Information is not available for sanctions applied to participants in New Deal 25 plus.

The Social Security Advisory Committee identified in late 2003 that work needed to be undertaken to review and evaluate the Sanctions Regime and DWP is nearing completion on a new Sanctions Database which will be operational following testing and evaluation. This will provide detailed sanction M1 on a regular basis and information will be published in the Library.

Information on the numbers of sanctions applied to New Deal for Young People participants broken down by reason for sanction, up to March 1999, is published in the "Analysis of Adjudication Officers' Decisions". Information from April 1999 onwards is published in "Analysis of Sector Decision Making". Copies of quarterly and annual reports are available in the Library.

Mr. Willetts

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what progress officials in his Department have made in providing more detailed and robust information on the sanction regime of the New Deal for Young People in the last year; if he will place the results of that progress in the Library; and if he will make a statement. [177556]

Jane Kennedy

More detailed and robust information on the sanction regime of the New Deal for Young People will be available as part of a new Sanctions Evaluation Database.

The Social Security Advisory Committee identified in late 2003 that work needed to be undertaken to review and evaluate the Sanctions Regime and DWP is nearing completion on the new Sanctions Database which will be operational following testing and evaluation. This will provide detailed sanction MI on a regular basis and information will be published in the Library.

It is anticipated that the new Sanctions Database will be operational in summer 2004.