Jobseeker’s Allowance (Jobseeker Mandatory Activity) Pilot Regulations 2007

If we wanted to continue this for a third year without evaluation, my understanding is that there is no plan to do that. This was envisaged as a two-year pilot to start with, and it had to be done through two separate processes. My noble friend Lord Hunt made it clear a year ago that 24 months was what was originally envisaged. We do not envisage running it on. It is absolutely right that there should be a proper evaluation and that the feedback from that be made available to noble Lords. The noble Lord, Lord Skelmersdale, asked about varying time periods. Eighteen months is the current situation generally for the New Deal for those aged 25 or over, and that is the point at which the conditionality in the extra support goes in. Freud had a range of recommendations, and I cannot do more than reiterate what we already said when we discussed that, which is that the Government welcome the broad thrust of what Freud says and have committed to comment in detail on it. We said we would respond within the course of this year. I cannot give a more detailed timetable than that, but this is something with which the Government are actively engaged. The particular focus on a six-month start for these pilots is to recognise that a lot of people go out of JSA in the first six months; they find their way back into work without the sort of support and engagement that these pilots envisage. This looks at whether an intervention at that point for this group of claimants, rather than the longer 18-month period, can throw up benefits that indicate that we can get people back into the job market quicker and help their aspirations in doing so. That is why there are different timescales. Freud is part of an important wider debate, and there will be feedback on that in due course. The issue of the one-week sanction was in last year’s regulations. Hardship payments are available to those in need if a sanction is levied and they would otherwise be without resources, so there is a safety net.