To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will monitor the effectiveness of job creation programmes by category of sector in which the jobs are created, examining specifically those related to infrastructure.

The Government do not run job-creation programmes as such. Our approach has been to develop an economic and labour market framework which encourages competition, flexibility and enterprise and thus frees business to create new jobs. The success of this policy is demonstrated by the fact that, at over 27 million, employment is now at its highest level ever, and has grown by more than 3.5 million since March 1983. Within this approach, my Department operates a range of programmes designed to help unemployed people back into work, through training, counselling and help with job search.