Jobseeker’s Allowance (Jobseeker Mandatory Activity) Pilot Regulations 2005

rose to move, That the draft regulations laid before the House on 15 November be approved. [10th Report from the Joint Committee]. The noble Lord said: My Lords, these statutory instruments will allow jobseeker mandatory activity—or JMA—pilots to operate. These regulations are required in order for us to offer additional help to unemployed people at the six-month point and to test the effectiveness of an early mandatory intervention. At present, approximately 31,400 people aged 25 and over claiming JSA flow over the six-month threshold every month in any one year. Existing employment provision, New Deal 25 plus, is available to them at the 18-month stage of a claim. Nearly 80 per cent of people claiming JSA leave the register within the first six months with minimum intervention from Jobcentre Plus. Research indicates that the longer unemployment continues, the harder it is to enter employment and it is at the six-month point that motivation and confidence begins to decline sharply. We therefore plan to implement the jobseeker mandatory activity pilot scheme that will start in April 2006 and last for two years. These regulations introduce the JMA programme and changes to the sanction regime. The programme will build on present back-to-work help and provide an opportunity to test the effectiveness of an early mandatory intervention sitting before the current 18-month trigger point by targeting all JSA customers aged 25 and over at the six-month stage of their claim. The programme will provide a three-day motivational course followed by three fortnightly follow-up personal adviser interviews. The objectives of the programme are, first, to target effective help by giving early direction, support and guidance to help customers identify a route into work and, secondly, to look at the financial impact on the mandatory New Deal options which take place at the 18-month stage of a customer’s claims. The three-day course will be delivered by external organisations, recruited by competitive tender. This will focus on examining job aspirations, motivation, emphasising rights and responsibilities, finding routeways into work and will include jobsearch skills. Customers will leave the course with an action plan. The three follow-up interviews will be carried out by a personal adviser in the Jobcentre Plus office. Advisers will ensure that customers pursue their action plans and actively jobsearch. Customers will be told at 13 weeks that, if they are still unemployed at six months, they will be required to attend and participate in all stages of the JMA programme and that a one-week sanction will be applicable for each failure to attend the course or any of the three follow-up interviews. A one-week sanction is considered to be appropriate for the short duration of the JMA programme rather than the longer sanctions for non-attendance under the New Deal programme. Safeguards are already in place to ensure that those who have good cause for failing to participate will not be sanctioned. Process changes have been made to ensure that sanction decisions relating to JMA are made quickly. Our staff are fully trained in the application of sanctions, and great importance is placed on customers being fully informed of their rights and responsibilities and the impact of any sanction imposed. Jobseekers will have the standard right of appeal to an independent social security appeal tribunal against any adverse decision. The individual’s rights will therefore be further safeguarded. I assure noble Lords that, where a sanction is imposed, hardship payments will be available as a safety net. The availability of hardship payments will provide immediate protection for vulnerable groups. A full evaluation of the programme will be carried out consisting of both qualitative and quantitative studies. The methodology will include interviews with project staff, local office staff and customers. The objectives will be to find out the extent to which the pilot programme affects behaviours and improves the skills and abilities of JMA customers, to inform good practice, and to assess whether in the pilot areas the programme results in an increase in off-flows from unemployment compared with comparator areas. The results will be used to inform future policy development and any decision about whether JMA should be extended nationally. The primary power in Section 29(1) of the Jobseekers Act 1995 says:"““Any regulations to which this subsection applies may be made so as to have effect for a specified period not exceeding 12 months””." We are making this proposal for the period 3 April 2006 to 2 April 2007. We intend to submit further regulations to the House before this statutory instrument expires, seeking extension of the pilot scheme for a further 12 months. I therefore propose, subject to approval of these regulations, to run pilots within 10 Jobcentre Plus districts. It is projected that around 76,000 customers will become eligible for the two-year pilot that will commence in April 2006. Following consultation, the Social Security Advisory Committee agreed that the regulations could be made without formal reference. In conclusion, these draft regulations form a key element of the Government’s back-to-work agenda. They incorporate safeguards to ensure that jobseekers are treated fairly in the light of their individual circumstances. I am satisfied that they are compatible with the European Convention on Human Rights and, in commending them to the House, I point out to noble Lords—I am sure that they will commend me on this—that this instrument has not been reported by the Merits of Statutory Instruments Select Committee. I beg to move. Moved, That the draft regulations laid before the House on 15 November be approved. [10th Report from the Joint Committee].—(Lord Hunt of Kings Heath.)