2 January 2008
The Prime Minister has praised the achievements of the New Deal programme for unemployed people that marks its 10th anniversary this week.
In a foreword for a Departmental report, the PM said that the "hard work" of implementing a rights and responsibilities agenda had paid off and that the "upheaval" to working processes had been "worth it". In total 1.8 million people were helped into employment, including 300,000 lone parents, and long-term unemployment in young people has been "virtually eliminated", he said.
The PM said:
"This week marks ten years of the New Deal, a time for celebration of what has been achieved
but also a time for looking ahead to the next 10 years of labour market reform."The work we are doing with employers through Local Employment Partnerships; the introduction of the flexible New Deal to create a welfare system more personalised to specific needs and capabilities of individuals; and the use of the private and voluntary sector to deliver help to those who need more help, will see the next decade of welfare policy and the New Deal help deliver lower unemployment and inactivity and better economic prospects, not just for some, but for all."
A major conference will be held for government, business and voluntary sector representatives at the end of January to discuss the next steps of the New Deal programme, the PM said.
Later the Prime Minister and Work and Pensions Secretary Peter Hain visited Marylebone Jobcentre Plus in London to meet local people who have benefited from the New Deal by gaining training and employment.
Image copyright: Reuters
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