It was based on similar workfare models in Sweden, which Layard has spent much of his academic career studying.
'Workfare' in the UK can arguably be traced back to 1986, and compulsory 'Restart' interviews for claimants after a certain period, and as such the first introduction of 'conditionalities' with the possible outcome of 'sanctions' for perceived non-compliance.
The 'New Deal' replaced the previous workfare programme of the then-Conservative government of John Major, 'Project Work', which had been launched in the early 90s.
The greatest emphasis of the first New Labour government was the NDYP, which was a pilot phase for more ambitious New Deal reforms with other groups.
The NDYP began with an initial compulsory 'consultation session', referred to as 'Gateway', that focused on improving job search and interview skills.
[citation needed] • Work in the voluntary sector, called the 'Community Task Force': those taking part were paid JSA plus a £15 training allowance.
A new scheme, called the 'Flexible New Deal', was introduced in October 2009, aimed at revamping the programme that had, by then, been in existence for more than a decade.
[2] Following the formation of the Conservative-led coalition government after the General Election of May 2010, Tory minister Chris Grayling announced the end of the New Deal that October.