§ The Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (Mr. Andrew Smith)In the 2002 Pre Budget Report the Government announced their intention to try new measures to help people stay and advance in work. These new measures, aimed at helping retention and advancement in work, will be introduced from October 2003 to 2007 in Jobcentre Plus Districts in south-east Wales; Renfrewshire, Inverclyde, Argyll and Bute; Gateshead and South Tyneside; Derbyshire; Manchester and north-east London.
Across the six areas, we estimate that around 13,000 people will benefit from:
Support from an Advancement Support Adviser who will help interested lone parents receiving Working Tax Credits and working less than 30 hours a week; lone parents who volunteer for the New Deal for Lone Parents; and interested, unemployed customers who are eligible for New Deal 25 plus;Financial incentives to encourage retention and advancement that will be fully disregarded for tax and benefit purposes.These measures, including the use of random assignment, will be evaluated comprehensively by independent qualitative and quantitative research.