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Sure Start
Mr. Breed: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how many of the local Sure Start programmes already (a) announced and (b) running, operate in rural areas. [110789]
Yvette Cooper: Of the 60 'trailblazer' and 69 Round 2 local authority districts announced to date as eligible for a local Sure Start programme, five can be classed as 'remoter mainly rural' (Boston, Fenland, Sedgemoor, Penwith and Kerrier). In addition, the trailblazer Sure Start programme in East Cleveland covers what is essentially a rural area, while a further seven districts are a mix of urban and rural, and coalfield areas (Isle of Wight, Easington, Wear Valley, Sedgefield, Derwentside, Ashfield, Bolsover). The trailblazer programmes in Fenland and East Cleveland are up and running now and Minsters hope to agree the programmes in Penwith and Sedgemoor soon. The remaining programmes are part of the second round and should be up and running by the summer.
New Deal
Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if he will estimate how many 18 to 24-year-olds have benefited from the New Deal in the Vale of York. [111377]
Ms Jowell: To the end of December 1999, 168 young people had benefited from the New Deal in the Vale of York constituency. Eighty-one of these have gained jobs through the New Deal and 51 have gained valuable training and work experience through the New Deal options.
Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how many people had left the New Deal for Young People for unsubsidised jobs up to the end of October 1999. [109704]
Ms Jowell [holding answer 11 February 2000]: Between January 1998 and the end of October 1999, 104,380 people left the New Deal for Young People for unsubsidised jobs.
Mr. Wigley:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how many people in Wales have had their benefits stopped for failing to take up a New Deal option. [111688]
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Ms Jowell
[holding answer 22 February 2000]: In Wales, from April to the end of September 1999, the latest date for which data are available, 239 sanctions were imposed for failing to take up a New Deal Option.
Mr. Brady:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if he will make a statement regarding the cost per participant of the New Deal. [109612]
Ms Jowell
[holding answer 22 February 2000]: The New Deal for Young People is designed to provide the help and support each individual joining the programme needs. Accordingly the cost of participation varies greatly from individual to individual.
We estimate that the overall average cost of helping a young person who takes part in New Deal is about £2,000.
Mr. Alexander:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what steps he is taking to enhance the functioning of the New Deal Gateway. [111124]
Ms Jowell:
The New Deal Gateway is already working effectively--almost 116,000 young people have already moved into work from this first stage of the New Deal.
We intended to use our continuous improvement strategy to build on this success. From spring 2000 there will be a nationwide expansion of the intensive Gateway approaches currently being piloted, which will take into account lessons learned from the evaluation of these pilots. In addition we have already developed the New Deal Gateway by ensuring early diagnosis of any literacy and numeracy needs, and by strengthening our arrangements to ensure that young people are moved with pace and purpose through the Gateway.
Mr. Alexander:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how many injuries related to participation in the New Deal have been reported by New Deal participants since April 1998. [111123]
Ms Jowell:
Since April 1998, there have been 149 injuries reported by New Deal participants. 128 of these injuries were classified as minor.
Mr. Bercow:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what percentage of those leaving the New Deal for Young People for jobs lasting less than 13 weeks have found jobs lasting less than (a) one week, (b) two weeks, (c) four weeks and (d) eight weeks. [109812]
Ms Jowell:
The information is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
Mr. Maclean:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what percentage of those lone parents who have been sent a letter inviting them to join the New Deal for Lone Parents have gone on to find jobs on the scheme; how this figure relates to Government targets; and if he will make a statement. [109277]
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Ms Hodge:
Invitation letters are sent to those lone parents whose youngest child is aged over five years and three months, after they have received Income Support for eight weeks. Other lone parents with younger children are able to join the programme but are not sent invitation letters. These invitation letters are not appointment letters; their aim is to tell lone parents about NDLP and the benefits that can be gained from participating in the programme.
There have been 443,700 invitation letters issued to lone parents. Of these, 36,990 have attended an initial interview, of which, 4,680 have left the New Deal for Lone Parents (NDLP) to go into employment. At the end of November an additional 6,070 were receiving support from their personal advisers while in work on NDLP. These 10,750 lone parents represent 2.4 per cent. of those sent a letter.
In addition, 74,320 lone parents who did not receive an invitation letter attended an interview. Therefore, total interviews and/or letters was 518,020, total jobs found was 32,710, which is 6.3 per cent. of those who were either interviewed or sent a letter.
In total, 112,570 lone parents have attended an initial interview, of whom 89 per cent. have agreed to participate in the programme.
The Employment Service has a target to place 15,000 New Deal for Lone Parents participants into work during 1999-2000. The Employment Service is currently expected to exceed this target. As a result of NDLP, many lone parents are also gaining jobs without a direct Employment Service referral.
Mr. Jim Murphy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment (1) how many bilateral meetings were held between his Department and its Austrian counterpart in each of the last five years; and what was discussed at each meeting since May 1997; [109875]
Ms Jowell:
Before the formation of the new Austrian Government the Department for Education and Employment or its predecessor Departments had a range of bilateral contacts with the relevant Austrian Ministries. Since May 1997 discussions have concentrated on education and training policies and programmes and were mostly in the context of the Austrian Presidency of the EU.
No DfEE bilateral meetings had been arranged at the time that the new Austrian Government was formed.
Mr. Breed:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what recent assessment he has made of the need of farmers who are employed on a part-time and seasonal basis to find employment in periods when they are out of work. [109809]
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Ms Jowell:
Although no specific assessment of this kind has been made, a national network of Employment Service Jobcentres exists to provide all individuals who need it help with finding work, including those who work on a part-time or seasonal basis. This is successful in enabling most people to leave unemployment quickly.
Part-time and seasonal work are valuable forms of employment and income. For those who, nevertheless, face substantial labour market disadvantage, there is a wider range of programmes and other individualised help designed to overcome the barriers that may prevent people from being in work.
Mr. Matthew Taylor:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what is his estimate of the annual cost of providing nursery education for all three-year-olds who are not in early years education; and if he will make a statement. [108864]
Ms Hodge:
We are making £390 million available over three years to increase by 190,000 the number of free, good quality, early education places for three-year-olds. This new money is being phased in over the financial years 1999-2000 to 2001-02. The priority is to reach those three-year-olds in social need who would most benefit from a free nursery place. The additional funding will enable 66 per cent. of all three-year-olds to have access to a free place by March 2002, as the first stage of the Government's strategy to provide free early education places for all three-year-olds. The estimated annual cost of achieving universal provision is approximately £450 million.
(2) if he will list those previously planned meetings and their subject, between his Department and its Austrian counterpart which have been cancelled since the formation of the new Austrian Government. [109896]
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