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Youth Parliament

Mr. Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment (1) what part the Youth Parliament will play in the Government's citizenship programme; [125641]

Jacqui Smith [holding answer 13 June 2000]: The Government welcome the setting up of a UK Youth Parliament (UKYP). The development of a UKYP fits with the Government's commitment to involve young people in all aspects of Government and to develop citizenship skills among young people--an essential element of education is citizenship and the teaching of democracy in schools. As the Department with the lead responsibility for the Connexions strategy and the development of citizenship through the National Curriculum, DfEE has a particular interest in supporting the work of the UKYP. For example, we recently agreed to a full-time member of staff from the Department being

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seconded to the UKYP for 12 months. In addition, the Department has funded consultancy support for the group of young people and other representatives who make up the UKYP steering group, taking forward the development of the UKYP. And the training process for prospective young Members of the Youth Parliament, currently being developed, will include sessions on citizenship--the UKYP is in discussion with DfEE on the help that we will be able to provide for those sessions, which are scheduled to take place in late October. While DfEE and other Government Departments are helping in its development, the UKYP is independent of Government and political parties and will belong to the young people themselves. It is the young people who will ultimately decide how the UKYP will be run, what issues they want to debate and the part they wish to play in future citizenship developments.

New Deal

Mr. Allan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment (1) how many people have joined the subsidised employment option of the New Deal since implementation, by unit of delivery; how many and what percentage of these (a) completed their programme before leaving the New Deal, (b) left their programme before completing it and (c) left at any stage for unknown destinations; [113555]

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Ms Jowell [holding answer 3 April 2000]: The information showing, by Unit of Delivery, cumulative data from the start of the New Deal to the end of March 2000, the latest date for which information is available, is contained in a number of tables, copies of which have been placed in the Libraries.

The tables show:



At a national level, this information is shown in the monthly Government Statistical Service New Deal Statistical First Release. Destinations on leaving New Deal are categorised as:





Young people who move on from the New Deal for jobs that last less than 13 weeks rejoin the programme immediately when they renew their claims for Jobseeker's Allowance. They cannot therefore be described as having left the New Deal.

Of those who have left the New Deal for known destinations, having taken part in options, including leavers from the Follow Through stage of New Deal, 46 per cent. found work. We do not know the destination on leaving New Deal for 28 per cent. of those who have participated in options. People leaving

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the New Deal are not required to tell us where they are going if they cease to claim benefits. In order to know as much as possible about the destinations of people leaving the New Deal the Government are conducting further surveys of those who leave the New Deal for unknown destinations. The results will be available later this year. So far surveys have shown that the pattern of actual destinations for those recorded as leaving the New Deal for unknown destinations is in line with the pattern among those whose destinations were known.

Comprehensive information on whether young people left their options having completed them or before having done so is not collected in that form. The New Deal aims to help unemployed people to move as quickly as possible from welfare into employment. Many young people will leave their New Deal options before completing them because they have found jobs in the regular labour market and are no longer unemployed. Young people do not therefore need to complete their New Deal options in order to succeed in the programme.

TRADE AND INDUSTRY

Broadcasting Industry (North-West)

13. Mr. Woolas: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment he has made of the role of the broadcasting industry in the economy of the north-west. [124597]

Dr. Howells: The broadcasting industry makes an important contribution to the economy of the north-west. The creative and media industries have been identified as priority sectors by the north-west Development Agency.

Manufacturing (East Midlands)

14. Gillian Merron: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment he has made of the performance of manufacturing industry in the east midlands region. [124598]

Mr. Caborn: Some sectors of manufacturing in the east midlands have continued to suffer, particularly in clothing and textiles and more traditional engineering. Other sectors, including those in higher technology, are faring much better. Overall manufacturing confidence remains significantly higher than for the same period last year.

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