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Workers (Rehabilitation)
24. Mr. Kidney: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what recent discussions he has had with private sector insurers about the rehabilitation of workers. [11705]
Malcolm Wicks: We are introducing a Job Retention and Rehabilitation Pilot from next year which will help people at risk of losing their job due to illness or disability to stay in work. We consulted widely on the development of this pilot which attracted interest from a range of groups including insurers.
New Deal
25. Vernon Coaker: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment his Department has made of the impact the new deal has had on youth unemployment. [11706]
Malcolm Wicks: Since 1997, youth unemployment has fallen by over 40 per cent., and long-term youth unemployment has been cut by almost three-quarters.
The new deal for young people has played a major part in this success. Up to August 2001, the programme had helped over 326,000 people into work, and independent research has estimated that, without the new deal, long-term youth unemployment would have been about twice as high.
Linda Gilroy: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the new deal for disabled people. [11704]
Maria Eagle: Early evaluation found that the new deal for disabled people had a positive impact on helping disabled people move towards work.
The pilot phase of the new deal for disabled people helped over 8,200 people move into work and since July we have begun to introduce a network of job brokers nationally.
The new deal for disabled people is just part of the range of help we are providing to help people on Incapacity Benefit move towards work. These include removing benefit barriers to allow people to take part in worktrials and work placements and ensuring that taking up work is worthwhile by introducing the disabled person's tax credit.
Mr. John Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the new deal for 50 plus; and if he will make a statement. [11682]
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Mr. Darling: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave my hon. Friend the Member for Gravesham (Mr. Pond) earlier today, at column 556.
Mr. Simon: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment his Department has made of the effect the new deal has had on long-term unemployment in Birmingham, Erdington. [11687]
Mr. Nicholas Brown: In Birmingham, Erdington since 1997, claimant unemployment has fallen by a third and the number of people unemployed for one year plus has been more than halved.
People who have been unemployed for 12 months or more can now benefit from the employment zone operating in Birmingham that has already helped over 2,300 people into work.
Mr. Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many persons have left the new deal for young people since its inception; how many of them have left to enter (a) jobs lasting less than 13 weeks, (b) sustained jobs and (c) jobs lasting more than 26 weeks; and what is the cost per person into a sustained job. [7982]
Mr. Nicholas Brown: The results of the new deal for young people are contained in the monthly statistical first releases which are available in the Library.
By the end of July 2001, 594,300 people had left the new deal for young people. Of these, 239,500 were to sustained unsubsidised jobs and 190,770 entered unsubsidised jobs and did not return to claim jobseeker's allowance within 26 weeks.
If someone on the new deal for young people moves into a job which lasts less than 13 weeks, they return to the new deal and are not classed as leavers.
The average cost per person into a job on the new deal for young people is around £4,000. This estimate cannot be broken down by the type of job obtained.
Mr. Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many participants in the new deal for lone parents have obtained places on (a) Employment Service programmes, (b) work based learning for adult programmes and (c) other training programmes since the inception of the new deal; and if he will give a breakdown of the qualifications obtained in each case. [9639]
Mr. Nicholas Brown: The latest information on the number of participants in the new deal for lone parents programme who have taken up education or training is contained in the statistical first release (SFR) which is available in the Library.
Information is not recorded on the type of training undertaken or qualifications gained.
Mr. Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many places were (a) available and (b) taken up on (i) the employment option and (ii) the full-time education and training option on the new deal for the long-term unemployed in each year since its inception; and what the cost per place in each case was. [9332]
Mr. Nicholas Brown: The new deal for 25-plus provides individually tailored help for long-term unemployed adults. Support through subsidised employment and education and training opportunities (ETO) is provided on the basis of individual need. As a result, the number of places available
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for subsidised employment or ETO relate directly to the number of participants for whom such provision is the most effective route into sustained, unsubsidised employment.
The table shows the number of subsidised employment and ETO places that have been taken up since July 1998.
| Year | Subsidised employment | ETO |
|---|---|---|
| From July 1998 | 1,811 | 1,381 |
| 1999 | 6,597 | 3,995 |
| 2000 | 5,692 | 2,383 |
| January to July 2001 | 2,051 | (18)199 |
| Total | 16,151 | 7,958 |
(18) Numbers taking up subsidised employment and ETO placements are for pre-April 2001 starts and hence do not include starts to the enhanced new deal 25-plus intensive activity period. The figures are taken from the Statistical First Release (SFR). The number of starts to ETO may be undercounted and future SFRs will show revised figures as necessary
Estimated average unit costs for subsidised employment and ETO are available for 1999–2000 and 2000–01. These are set out in the table.
| Year | Subsidised employment | ETO |
|---|---|---|
| 1999–2000 | 1,402 | 802 |
| 2000–01 | 1,557 | 869 |
Mr. Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions further to his answer of 15 October 2001, Official Report, column 904, on unemployment advice, what research he has (a) commissioned and (b) evaluated into deadweight cost and the new deal. [9528]
Mr. Nicholas Brown: We have commissioned a comprehensive range of new deal evaluation, including that by the National Institute of Economic and Social Research (NIESR) which looked at the overall impact of the programme on the wider economy. This was a valuable piece of research showing that without new deal long-term youth unemployment would be about twice as high.
Mr. Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many of the long-term unemployed have been subjected to sanctions in respect of the new deal for the long-term unemployed since its inception. [9335]
Mr. Nicholas Brown: Up to September 2001, 50,913 sanctions had been imposed on people participating in new deal programmes. Figures are not available for individual programmes.
- Source:
- Employment Service Labour Market Statistics
Mr. Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the total cost to date has been of (a) publications on and (b) advertising of new deal programmes for the unemployed. [11651]
Mr. Nicholas Brown: Figures available are as follows:
- Publications 1 —£2,574,690
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- 1 This figure covers only publications for new deal for young people, 25 plus, partners of unemployed, 50 plus, disabled people and action teams
Mr. Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many participants in the new deal to date have been placed on a computer skills course as part of the Ambition: IT partnership. [11649]
Mr. Nicholas Brown: The Ambition: IT initiative is currently being developed. Training will be available from January 2002.
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