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Pensions
Adam Price: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what plans he has to meet the Coalfields Community Campaign to discuss the issue of re- negotiating the surpluses received by the Government for acting as guarantors to the BCSSS and MPS pension schemes. [23966]
Mr. Wilson: I have been asked to reply.
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None. Any issues relating to the current Guarantee arrangements are matters for discussion between my Department and the Trustees of the BCSSS and MPS.
New Deal
Mr. Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many lone parents on income support have school age children; how many of these parents were on the new deal for lone parents in April; how many have attended a personal adviser interview since April, broken down into those who agreed to participate in the NDLP and those who did not; how many have refused or failed to attend a personal adviser interview since April; and how many have not yet been invited to a personal adviser interview. [7909]
Mr. Nicholas Brown: At August 2001, 638,600 1 lone parents who receive income support had a child between five and 15 years old. Information is not available on how many of these people are participating in the new deal for lone parents (NDLP) programme.
Since April 2001, lone parents with a youngest child of school age (at least five years and three months old) have been asked to take part in a meeting with a personal adviser to discuss the range of help available to move into work when they make a claim for income support. This requirement is being extended to all lone parents making a claim to income support, in pathfinder areas since October 2001, and nationally from April 2002.
Lone parents already claiming income support are being invited to a compulsory personal adviser meeting, on a rolling programme, starting this year with those with a youngest child of 13–15 years.
50,320 lone parents have attended a personal adviser meeting since 30 April 2001 of whom 16,080 have chosen to join the NDLP programme 2 .
If lone parents fail to attend a compulsory personal adviser meeting their claim is disallowed or, if they are already receiving income support, their benefit is sanctioned. This has happened in 887 cases up to 30 November. If the lone parent subsequently participates in a personal adviser meeting then the sanction is lifted. Lone parents are not required to take further action beyond participating in a personal adviser meeting.
- Sources:
- 1 Income Support Quarterly Statistical Enquiry (August 2001)
- 2 New Deal for Lone Parents and Personal Adviser Meetings Statistical First Release (statistics to September 2001)
Mr. Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many lone parents have been sent an invitation to a new deal for lone parents interview since the scheme began; how many of these lone parents have attended an interview; and how many have then agreed to participate in the scheme. [7910]
Mr. Nicholas Brown: Lone parents claiming income support, who are not required to attend a compulsory personal adviser meeting and who have a youngest child of at least three years old, are sent letters informing them about NDLP. These letters are not appointment letters but
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do give details of how lone parents can request an initial interview to find out more about NDLP and join the programme. By the end of September 2001 nearly 300,000 lone parents had chosen to attend an NDLP interview and nearly 85 per cent. of them chose to go on to participate in the programme.
Mr. Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what proportion (1) of those leaving the new deal for the long-term unemployed aged (a) 25 to 29, (b) 30 to 49 and (c) 50+ years found (i) employment and (ii) sustained jobs in each year since 1998; [9331]
- (2) of those leaving the new deal for the long-term unemployed did so for (a) sustained jobs and (b) jobs lasting fewer than 13 weeks, broken down by region; [9421]
(3) of the pre-April 2001 entrants to the new deal for the long-term unemployed who undertook (a) the employment option and (b) the full-time education and training option found sustained jobs on leaving the new deal. [9424]
Mr. Nicholas Brown: From April 2001 we have introduced a new, enhanced new deal 25 plus for those unemployed for 18 months or more which offers more intensive, individually tailored support to participants.
The available information relating to the pre-April 2001 new deal for the long-term unemployed is in the tables. In addition to those recorded as leaving for sustained, unsubsidised jobs, we know from independent surveys that a significant proportion of leavers to unknown destinations will also have found work.
| Age group on joining the new deal | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 25–29 | 30–49 | 50+ | Overall | |
| 1998(40) | 34 | 29 | 17 | 26 |
| 1999 | 19 | 16 | 9 | 14 |
| 2000 | 18 | 15 | 11 | 14 |
| 2001(41) | 18 | 15 | 11 | 14 |
| Overall | 19 | 16 | 10 | 15 |
(40) From start July
(41) To end September
| Region | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Scotland | 12 |
| Northern | 10 |
| North West | 14 |
| Yorkshire and Humber | 14 |
| Wales | 14 |
| West Midlands | 13 |
| East Midlands and Eastern | 15 |
| South West | 20 |
| London/South East | 17 |
| Total | 15 |
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| Option | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Subsidised employment | 11 |
| Education and training | 15 |
Note:
By definition, all jobs gained by new deal leavers are sustained, unsubsidised jobs (ie to have left the programme they must not re-claim jobseeker's allowance within 13 weeks).
Source:
New Deal Evaluation Database
Mr. Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what information is given to new deal personal advisers on the opportunities that exist for new deal participants within Government Departments. [18042]
Mr. Nicholas Brown: All public sector vacancies notified to the Employment Service by various Government Departments are treated in exactly the same way as all others placed by public and private sector employers. Those new deal clients who then wish to apply for civil service opportunities are matched and screened against the desired recruitment criteria by the new deal adviser. Information on those Departments which have signed up to new deal is made available to all new deal advisers through the Employment Services' internal communications system (ESCOM).
Mr. Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the answer of 19 November 2001, Official Report, column 160W, what proportion of the number of people leaving for (a) employment and (b) sustained employment in Government Departments represents the (i) total number of people leaving the new deal for young people and (ii) number of people leaving the new deal for young people for employment. [18060]
Mr. Nicholas Brown: This information is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what percentage of individuals (1) in (a) the constituency of Buckingham and (b) total UK population have found permanent employment as a result of the new deal for (i) the long-term unemployed 25+, (ii) lone parents, (iii) disabled people and (iv) 50+ in each of the years since they were introduced; [22536]
- (2) in (a) the constituency of Buckingham and (b) total UK population are participating in the new deal (i) for the long-term unemployed 25+, (ii) for lone parents, (iii) for disabled people and (iv) for 50+. [22537]
Mr. Nicholas Brown: Information is not available in the format requested.
Mr. Tynan: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people in Hamilton, South constituency found permanent employment as a result of new deal for (a) long-term unemployed 25 plus, (b) lone parents, (c) disabled people and (d) 50 plus in each of the years since they were introduced. [23358]
Mr. Nicholas Brown: The available information is in the table.
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| Programme | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New Deal 25 plus (July 1998-September 2001) | 6 | 19 | 36 | 33 | 94 |
| New Deal for Lone Parents (October 1998-September 2001) | 12 | 36 | 62 | 44 | 154 |
| New Deal 50 plus Employment Credit starts (April 2000-October 2001) | — | — | 37 | 34 | 71 |
Notes:
1. Sustained jobs are those lasting more than 13 weeks. No information on whether jobs are permanent is available for new deal for lone parents.
2. Figures shown are therefore for lone parents into employment.
3. Information at constituency level is not available for the new deal for disabled people.
Source:
New Deal Evaluation Database
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