Lone Parent Employment

: We have done research on the impact of such measures, but it is of course difficult to quantify and distinguish clearly the general health of the economy and our stewardship of it from the effect of the active labour market policies. My recall is that about half the impact comes from the active labour market policy interventions and half from the general health of the economy and the growth in jobs. I shall write to hon. Gentleman and give him the references, so that he can examine the research himself. I have described what we have done through talking to lone parents in mandatory work-focused interviews. The new deal for lone parents was introduced in 1998. More than 600,000 lone parents have taken part and more than 400,000 have moved into work through the programme, which has evolved as we have learnt what works. We have piloted an array of measures to respond to needs and priorities as they emerge in the work that we do with lone parents. Some examples of that are that we now give job grants to lone parents, which may just help them to buy the suit that they need to go to the first interview, if they do not have appropriate clothing at home. We are piloting work search premiums to assist lone parents in looking for work as they prepare themselves for work. We also have the in-work emergency fund, which a lone parent can access if they face a financial difficulty during the first couple of months of work, as well as the in-work credit. We have developed a much stronger outreach programme, and from my previous ministerial responsibilities for Sure Start, I think that our work with lone parents through that programme has been particularly innovative. Sure Start programmes tend to be located in areas that have a high prevalence of lone parents. It is wonderful to see Sure Start mothers building their confidence, from coming to Sure Start children's centres, meeting other mums and doing a bit of training, to perhaps doing some work in the centre and then out into employment elsewhere in their local communities. I often used to come across people who had started the Sure Start trajectory with no qualifications and very little work experience, but who had moved through even into NVQ level 4 undergraduate programmes and beyond. Sure Start has been an excellent outreach programme. New deal plus has brought together many of the measures into one integrated programme. They range from discovery events, which help to build confidence and engage lone parents with employers, more concentrated support for child care, emphasising the financial support through the in-work credit scheme, to better personal support, by having a named personal advisor, continuing support with the lone parent after he or she moves in work, and other initiatives, such as our computer access jobpoints, for jobs in places such as children's centres. I saw such a scheme the other day in the Robert Owen children's centre in Greenwich. It appeared to have been really effective, with mums coming into the café, seeing the jobpoints, playing around with them on one day, accessing job opportunities a few weeks later and then moving into work. Five districts launched the new deal plus in April 2005, in London, Bradford, Leicestershire, and Dudley and Sandwell, and we have just announced that from October 2006 we shall further pilot the scheme in Wales and Scotland. With that range of policy levers we are on track to increase the employment rate of lone parents.