More New Deal statistics purport to show another big increase in the number finding employment as part of the scheme.

Employment Minister Tessa Jowell announced the figures today, which she said showed the number of people helped by New Deal had reached a million, with 600,000 young people and 300,000 over-25s benefitting from the scheme so far.

The DfEE certainly has figures to suggest the scheme has helped this number of people, which in itself is a good thing, but the statistics aren't quite as clear as they seem - they actually relate to 900,000 who've started the New Deal scheme, rather than documenting how many went on into paid employment after the initial six month subsidy period had ended. In addition, it also includes 178,251 people who 'have agreed to participate on New Deal' for Lone Parents and 18,766 people who 'have had initial interviews' on New Deal for Disabled People, together with 3,880 who have 'volunteered to meet a Personal Adviser' on New Deal for Partners of Unemployed People. Additional figures showed that 269,200 young people have found jobs, of whom 206,530 have found sustained jobs, with an additional 171,000 undertaking education and training.

Ms Jowell was naturally keen to promote the successes of the scheme so far: "The million people who have been helped by New Deal include lone parents, partners of unemployed people and disabled people – people who might have thought that their working lives were over. In this way New Deal is having an impact on society and the economy. It is changing people’s expectations from being supported by benefit to supporting themselves through work. It is contributing to one of the highest employment rates in the EU – every UK region has an employment rate higher than the EU average – ensuring the UK economy is one of the most competitive in the world."