Welfare Reform on the Web (March 2001): Social Security - UK - New Deal
ARE DISABLED WORKERS GETTING REAL CHOICE?
Anon
Labour Research, vol. 90, Jan. 2001, p. 20-22
The government is introducing a substantial change to the Supported Employment Programme which, through state subsidy, assists severely disabled people in entering and retaining jobs. Eligibility for the subsidy will be made dependent on how long a person has been on benefit rather than on the extent of their disability as now and targets will be set for people to move from supported employment to mainstream jobs. Unions are concerned that people will be forced into jobs they are not ready for.
THE COST OF UNEMPLOYMENT
P. Bivand
Working Brief, no. 120, 2000/01, p. 20-21
The evaluation research carried out on the New Deals for Young People and Lone Parents has claimed that they are close to being self-financing in Exchequer terms.
(See also Financial Times, Dec. 29th 2000, p. 2)
LEARNING IF POLICY WILL WORK: THE CASE OF THE NEW DEAL FOR DISABLED PEOPLE
R. Walker
Policy Studies, vol. 21, 2000, p. 313-331
The Personal Adviser component of the New Deal for Disabled People aims to increase levels of paid employment and employability among disabled people of working age. Taking the Personal Adviser pilots as a case study, article discusses issues that arise when designing policy evaluations to inform national policy decisions and implementation, including randomisation, discrepant timescales and "cherry picking".
LONE PARENTS AND THE NEW DEAL
J. Millar
Policy Studies, vol. 21, 2000, p. 333-345
Throughout the post-war period lone parents in the UK have not been required to seek employment and policy has largely been based on the assumption that they will stay at home to care for their children. Under the Labour government, however, the approach has changed through the introduction of the New Deal for Lone Parents in 1997. Article first places the New Deal in context by describing how it developed out of previous policy and then discusses the emerging evidence on how lone parents have responded.
MOBILITY AND JOBLESSNESS
P. Gregg, S. Mackin and A. Manning
National Bureau of Economic Research, 2000
While there are large disparities in unemployment and crime between regions, there is no evidence that these have increased in the past 20 years. Suggests that regional differentials in unemployment could be reduced if the unemployed were more willing to move to look for work.
NEW DEAL FOR YOUNG PEOPLE: PARTICIPANTS' PERSPECTIVES
J. Ritchie
Policy Studies, vol. 21, 2000, p. 301-312
Article examines some key features of NDYP from the perspectives of participants. It first considers the diversity of young unemployed people entering the programme and their very different needs. It examines the patterns of departure into employment from the Programme and explores whether some routes appear more durable than others. Finally discusses the variety of ways in which "employability" can be strengthened during NDYP and the qualities of the programme that most enhance them.
NEW DEAL FOR YOUNG PEOPLE: TOWARDS AN ETHICAL EMPLOYMENT POLICY
M. White
Policy Studies, vol. 21, 2000, p. 285-299
Article analyses the ethical claims of Labour's most important innovation in employment policy, the New Deal for Young People (NDYP). Argues that the NDYP meets the criteria for being considered an ethical employment policy because it offers universal access to all those eligible to participate and prioritises the well-being of disadvantaged groups.
PRE-BUDGET REPORT OUTLINES NEXT PHASE OF NEW DEAL
P. Bivand
Working Brief, no. 120, 2000/01, p. 10-11
Summarises the implications of the 2000 Pre-Budget Report for the New Deals for Lone Parents and Disabled People. Significant changes include the introduction of specialist advisers for lone parents and job brokers to help place disabled people in work.
PROTOTYPE EMPLOYMENT ZONES: A QUIET SUCCESS
L. Britton
Working Brief, no. 120, 2000/01, p. 14-15
The Prototype Employment Zones (PEZs) were set up to be flexible, allowing them to provide tailored packages of help for individuals and to develop innovative methods to get people off benefits and into work. They were jointly managed by public and voluntary sector organisations, with input from local government, the Employment Service and community groups. The fully-fledged Employment Zones subsequently set up different both conceptually and structurally. The biggest change in design is the introduction of payment by results which allowed private sector firms to run the zones.
RE-ENGINEERED NEW DEAL FOR 25+
P. Bivand
Working Brief, no. 120, 2000/01, p. 12-13
The re-engineered New Deal for 25+, which takes effect in April 2001, will remain a nationally structured programme. Two of the main features of the re-engineered scheme will be the Gateway (up to four months of intensive advice and guidance to help find an unsubsidised job) and the Intensive Activity Period (work placements and skills training).
RECONCILING RISK AND THE EMPLOYMENT OF DISABLED PERSONS IN A REFORMED WELFARE STATE
J. Davies and W. Davies
Industrial Law Journal, vol. 29, 2000, p. 347-377
Article considers whether a welfare reform policy intended to empower disabled people by moving them from benefits into work may instead exacerbate social exclusion. It argues that potential conflicts between employers' responsibilities under health and safety law and a duty of non-discrimination introduced by the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 must be resolved if this outcome is to be avoided. Protectionism may give rise to a potential for paternalistic decision-making on the part of employers who may refuse to accept disabled employees' in their own best interests or those of others.
TUC SAYS NEW DEAL HAS HELPED 500,000
C. Buckley
Times, Jan. 2nd 2001, p. 25
The TUC forecasts that by May 2001 the New Deal programmes will have helped more than 500,000 unemployed people to find work. This comprises 320,000 young people, 71,000 over 25s, 84,000 lone parents, 7,000 disabled people and 39,000 over 50s.
WELFARE TO WORK: WHERE NEXT?
M. Nathan, M. Ward and H. Roberts (eds)
Manchester: Centre for Local Economic Strategies, 2000 (Research paper; 3)
Report argues that Labour's New Deals for the unemployed are failing to get people into work because the schemes do not recognise the individual nature of the client's needs. It also calls for the creation of sustainable employment rather than the current focus on "getting people into jobs", and for employers to become more actively involved.