| Previous Section | Index | Home Page |
WALES
New Deal (Over-50s)
Mr. Barry Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what discussions he has had with the First Secretary concerning the New Deal for the over 50s; and if he will make a statement. [125562]
Mr. Paul Murphy: I meet the First Secretary on a weekly basis to discuss a variety of issues including the New Deal for over 50s, which is a UK Government scheme. The national roll-out of the New Deal for over 50s was launched on 3 April this year at Merthyr College by the Prime Minister, although a pilot has been in operation in Flintshire and Wrexham since October 1999. Early indicators suggest that the programme will benefit
12 Jun 2000 : Column: 524W
Wales and the 50-plus jobseeking community. The Employment Service will be releasing statistical information on New Deal 50 plus in September.
Airbus A3XX
Mr. Barry Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what discussions he has had with the First Secretary concerning the application for £25 million RSA grant from the Wales Assembly to the Airbus A3XX project; and if he will make a statement. [125600]
Mr. Paul Murphy: I meet the First Secretary on a regular weekly basis and we discuss a wide range of issues including the Airbus A3XX project. I understand the Company has submitted a new application with a new cast for £25 million RSA. This is entirely a matter for the Assembly and I know that it will give the application full consideration and make a decision based on sound economic analysis and a set of fixed criteria.
Mr. Barry Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry concerning the application by Airbus UK for £503 million repayable launch investment for the A3XX project; and if he will make a statement. [125601]
Mr. Paul Murphy: I have regular discussions with my Whitehall colleagues and we discuss a wide range of issues including the A3XX project. I was pleased to learn of the £530 million Launch Investment decision. It is good news for the UK and the plant at Broughton.
Assisted Areas Map
Mr. Barry Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what discussions he has had with the First Secretary concerning the assisted area status map as it concerns the constituency of Alyn and Deeside and the county of Flintshire; and if he will make a statement. [125603]
Mr. Paul Murphy: The Assisted Areas map is a matter for the UK Government, but I have, of course, discussed the designation of Welsh areas with the First Secretary. I have also met with a delegation from Flintshire county council to hear their concern first hand.
The Government are still in discussion with the European Commission and are pressing for early approval of the Assisted Areas map. Within the framework set by the European Commission, all concerned have tried to include, so far as possible revised proposals reflecting local and national priorities. The Government will make an announcement when the map is approved.
Shotton Steelworks
Mr. Barry Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry concerning the future of the Shotton Steelworks and the impact of the strength of sterling; and if he will make a statement. [125602]
12 Jun 2000 : Column: 525W
Mr. Paul Murphy: I am in close contact with my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry regarding all aspects of the steel industry. I have also met representatives from the Corus Group plc and from the ISTC and discussed a range of issues with both.
The Government understand the difficulties that the current fall in the euro is causing for British industry. In a wider international context, it is clear that the problem is one of Euro weakness rather than sterling strength. Recently the pound depreciated to a six-year low against the dollar.
EDUCATION AND EMPLOYMENT
Staff Secondments
Mr. Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how many staff from his Department were seconded to private sector companies in (a) May 1997 to April 1998, (b) May 1998 to April 1999 and (c) May 1999 to April 2000; and if he will list in each case the companies to which staff were sent, the names and ranks of the staff involved and the duration of the secondment. [123427]
Mr. Wills [holding answer 24 May 2000]: Secondments and attachments are part of the Government's approach to interchange which promotes the exchange of people and good practice between the Civil Service and other organisations. All sectors of the economy are involved: voluntary, public and private. Interchange is a key component of the Government's agenda for Civil Service reform.
Secondments from DfEE to other organisations generally last between three months and three years. The number of secondments from the DfEE to private sector companies, beginning in the years since May 1997, were:
Notes:
SCS--Senior Civil Service (formerly Civil Service grade 3 and 5)
SEO--Senior Executive Officer
HEO--Higher Executive Officer
IO--Information Officer
EO--Executive Officer
12 Jun 2000 : Column: 526W
New Deal
Mr. Pike: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what assessment he has made of the impact of the New Deal on employment in (a) Lancashire, (b) the North-West Region and (c) Burnley. [123556]
Ms Jowell: 3,971 young people in Lancashire had found work through the New Deal by the end of March 2000. The equivalent figures for the North-West and Burnley are 30,921 and 260 respectively.
It is likely to prove difficult to assess the impact of New Deal on specific localities. Independent evaluation at national level has, however, shown that New Deal helps people leave unemployment more quickly and has increased employment, and reduced unemployment, by more than would otherwise have happened. It has also suggested that the programme will be close to self-financing.
With the help of New Deal, long-term youth unemployment has been virtually eliminated. Since April 1998 the number of 18-24 year olds claiming JSA for more than a year has fallen from 400 to 50 in Lancashire, from 6,700 to 800 in the North-West and from 12 to two in Burnley.
Dr. Iddon: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what measures he is taking to alert school leavers to the availability of New Deal options. [123878]
Ms Jowell: General information about New Deal and the options is available to school leavers through the Careers Service. There are, however, no plans to promote options in any detail to this group as we hope that they will move into work before they become eligible to join New Deal through the help and advice offered either by the Careers Service or by the Employment Service.
Dr. Iddon: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what research his Department has (a) carried out and (b) commissioned into the reasons for which people leave the unemployment register while remaining unemployed instead of entering the New Deal Gateway. [123880]
Ms Jowell: Young people leave Jobseeker's Allowance at all stages of their unemployment duration and not just at the point of joining New Deal. Information on the reasons for leaving Jobseeker's Allowance by duration of unemployment is published monthly by the Office for National Statistics in Labour Market Trends.
12 Jun 2000 : Column: 527W
Dr. Iddon: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment (1) what help is given to prisoners on leaving prison to enter the New Deal Gateway; and if this help is monitored; [123879]
- (2) if discharged remand prisoners are given help to enter the New Deal Gateway. [123881]
Ms Jowell: Unemployed offenders and discharged remand prisoners have equal access to employment, training and education and are able to count the period of detention towards the qualifying period for Employment Service programmes. They may enter New Deal from the first day after being released.
Separate management information is not collected on the number of offenders who enter ES programmes, so monitoring of progress overall cannot be undertaken nationally. However, the progress of individuals may be monitored locally by the Employment Service and Probation Service as part of working in partnership with each other.
To help with the transition from custody to employment, the Employment Service have developed a National Framework Document that assists agencies to establish and develop local agreements. The National Framework has been developed in close working partnership with the Prison Service, the Probation Service, the Benefits Agency and the TEC National Council. Local agreements ensure that offenders are aware of employment, training and education opportunities open to them and their responsibility to find work.
Mr. Ian Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how many people in each month since April 1997 were unemployed for over six months but were excluded from the claimant count because they were undertaking a New Deal Option, broken down into those aged (a) 18 to 24 and (b) under 18 or over 24 years. [125179]
Ms Jowell [holding answer 9 June 2000]: Since the national roll out of New Deal in January 1998, 163,800 young people have started New Deal options. The claimant count includes only those persons claiming Jobseeker's Allowance. People undertaking a New Deal option are not in receipt of Jobseeker's Allowance and are therefore, by definition, not included in the count.
Mr. Ian Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how many people who have completed the New Deal once have (a) re-entered the gateway to New Deal for a second time and (b) gone onto a second New Deal option. [125180]
Ms Jowell [holding answer 9 June 2000]: In the period ending March 2000, 34,870 young people had re-entered the New Deal Gateway. Of these, 10,170 had started a New Deal option.
| Next Section | Index | Home Page |