Employment Schemes: Lone Parents

Mrs. May
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when the Government's guarantee of a job interview for every lone parent who is looking for work and ready for work is expected to take effect.

Kitty Ussher
[holding answer 15 May 2009]: Jobcentre Plus introduced the guarantee of a job interview for eligible lone parents in April 2008.

Mrs. May
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when work trials for lone parents were introduced; and how many lone parents have undertaken such trials to date.

Kitty Ussher
[holding answer 15 May 2009]: Work trials were introduced in December 1989. Lone parents do not have to satisfy the eligibility criteria and so have access to this provision from ‘Day One’. However, the nature of the available statistical data means I am unable to provide an overall figure of how many lone parents have undertaken a work trial.