Lone Parent Employment

: Yes. I was about to say that we need to do more if we are to remain on track. We reckon that if we maintained existing policies and the current suite of interventions, we could probably get a further 200,000 lone parents into the labour market, but to reach 70 per cent. we need to get about 320,000 into work, as I said. We need to go further; hence the Green Paper and the further proposals on which we are consulting. Finally, what are those proposals? We want to intensify the regime of compulsory work-focused interviews and are suggesting quarterly interviews for all those whose youngest child is 11. We have made a further suggestion, to debate whether 11 is right age or whether there is a consensus on starting when children are even younger—perhaps seven. That is particularly important, given our commitment through the national child care strategy to introduce extended schools facilities by 2010, and therefore make high-quality child care available to all children throughout the country. I shall be interested to see the response to the consultation on those issues, but a lot of the data and research evidence shows that parents make such life choices when their children are in transition, so more parents move into work when their children move into primary school. Similarly, more parents choose to go back to work as their children transfer to secondary school. We need to capture those points of transition if we are to be effective in lifting lone parents out of poverty by bringing them into work. As well as suggesting quarterly interviews from when the youngest child is seven, we want more work-focused interviews in the first year of a claim. Again, that is a theme that runs through the welfare reform Green Paper. We know that the earlier we intervene and give support, the more likely we are to be able to change patterns of behaviour, and build and retain people's confidence, so that they stay in the labour market. We have also suggested that once somebody has been on income support for a year, the frequency of the work-focused interview should be increased from one every year to one every six months. Finally, we are introducing a new incentive that we also want to pilot with parents whose youngest child is 11. There are still about 150,000 lone parents on income support whose youngest child is 11. Although the labour market participation rate is of course is higher when the children are older, that is still quite a considerable cohort, which we wish to capture to raise those families and children out of poverty. The incentive will be a work-related activity premium, to which lone parents will be entitled for engaging in activities that bring them closer to work. We are consulting on this issue, and I feel strongly about it. We have suggested that we should pilot the scheme as an entitlement in the pilot areas, and lone parents would have to opt out if they did not want to participate in the work-related activities. Rather than an opt-in scheme, which a number of organisations in the field would prefer, I would like to use an opt-out scheme to see whether it has a different impact on lone parent participation in the labour market. Those ideas are out for consultation. We will listen to what people say in the coming months. We are rightly proud of our record in government—of the support that we have developed for lone parents and the opportunities that we have given to so many to enjoy the benefits that work can bring to them and their children—and we want to take our policies one step further. All the measures that we have introduced are aimed at making it easier for lone parents to find and enter work, as well as ensuring that their children are well cared for in a safe and stimulating environment. I strongly believe that our approach is a winning formula that will help us to provide a lasting legacy in lifting children out of poverty and enabling lone parents to realise their potential and fulfil their ambitions.