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Select Committee to inquire into how the Government will reach its aim to achieve an employment rate of 80%

The House of Commons Work and Pensions Committee announced an inquiry “to examine the effectiveness of the Government’s employment strategy and the action required to achieve the aim of increasing the employment rate to 80%.”

The inquiry will examine some of the measures proposed in the recent Welfare Reform Bill and will predominantly focus upon lone parents, people aged 50+ and ethnic minorities. Particular areas of interest are likely to include:

• the barriers to work, such as housing costs and employers’ attitudes, experienced by the above groups;
• the effectiveness of DWP’s national employment programmes, such as the New Deal and Employment Zones, and the different pilot schemes in operation around the country;
• area-based variations in employment rates in both urban and rural areas and the initiatives aimed at tackling them, including the new Cities Strategy;
• the provision of services by, and the contracting out of functions such as work-focused interviews to, the private and voluntary sectors; and
• job sustainability;

The Committee sought written contributions on this issue from interested organisations and individuals. Oral evidence sessions will take place from the autumn. The deadline for written evidence was 27 September 2006.

More information

• main welfare reform page
• press notice

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