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Dept of Social Security

Answer

Mr. Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what assumptions about the rate of response to initial letters to lone parents underlay the budgeting for the Parent Plus pilots; and what has been the actual response rate to initial letters under the New Deal for lone parents. [40209] Mr. Keith Bradley: Budgeting for the Parent Plus pilots was based on the assumption that 35 per cent. of lone parents sent a letter would attend an initial interview and, of those, 50 per cent. would agree to participate, giving a take-up rate of 17.5 per cent. The same assumptions were made in the initial plans for the New Deal for Lone Parents. Lone parents have attended interviews in response to various contacts: directly in response to letters of invitation, and indirectly in response to publicity, and word of mouth. As of 24 April 1998, there were 25,805 contacts with lone parents, which includes 22,402 lone parents who had been sent letters. 5,508 lone parents have attended an interview in response to a letter or other publicity; and 4,901 have agreed to participate in the New Deal for Lone Parents, following an interview. This means that approximately 90 per cent. of those attending an interview have agreed to participate; and produces a take-up rate of 19 per cent., higher than the original assumption. A full independent evaluation of the New Deal for Lone Parents is being undertaken, to report in Autumn 1999. This will assess the overall effectiveness of the programme.

Secondary information

Type

Written question

Reference

313 c314-5W; 40209

Session

1997-98

Subjects

Correspondence Lone parents New deal for lone parents Parent plus

Contains statistics

Yes