Spending Review
Chapter 21: Welfare to Work
Aim
To provide employment opportunity for all, thereby improving life chances, reducing poverty and allowing the economy to grow without running into skills shortages.
Objectives and performance targets
Objective I: to increase the effective labour supply by moving as many additional unemployed people and inactive welfare recipients as possible into jobs and active competition for jobs, and hence reduce structural unemployment and inactivity rates amongst those of working age.
1. Increase employment over the economic cycle.
2. A continued reduction in the number of unemployed people over the age of 18 over the three years to 2004, taking account of the economic cycle.
Objective II: to counter poverty and social exclusion by helping welfare recipients facing the most severe disadvantages to compete effectively for jobs, adjust more quickly to economic change and so raise their incomes and life chances.
3. Reduce the number of children in households with no one in work over the three years to 2004.
4. Over the three years to 2004 increase the employment rates of disadvantaged areas and groups, taking account of the economic cycle - people with disabilities, lone parents, ethnic minorities and the over 50s, the 30 local authority districts with the poorest initial labour market position - and reduce the difference between their employment rates and the overall rate.
Who is responsible for delivery?
These targets arise out of the cross-departmental review of Welfare to Work and are delivered jointly by the Department for Education and Employment, HM Treasury and the Department of Social Security. The Chancellor of the Exchequer, the Secretary of State for Social Security and the Secretary of State for Education and Employment are jointly responsible for the delivery of target 1. The Chancellor of the Exchequer and the Secretary of State for Education and Employment are jointly responsible for the delivery of target 2. The Secretary of State for Social Security and the Secretary of State for Education and Employment are jointly responsible for the delivery of targets 3 and 4.
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