To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment when he expects the Design of the New Deal for the Long Term Unemployed to be issued; and if he will make a statement. [34431]

The New Deal provision for adults who have been unemployed for two years or more will begin in June this year. This provision will offer people a range of advice and help to get them back to work. In particular, we will be introducing an employer subsidy of £75 a week for up to six months, and the opportunity for people from this group to study full-time for an employment-related qualification for up to a year whilst remaining on JSA. We will begin preliminary discussions later this month with strategic partners, both at national and local levels. We plan to issue a document describing the design of this programme in early May.We will also be piloting, later this year, a further extension of the New Deal approach for adults who have been unemployed for less than two years.