Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Lord Bellingham and Justin Tomlinson

Monday 11th July 2016 Commons Chamber

[Sir Henry Bellingham (North West Norfolk) (Con)]

13. What recent assessment he has made of job creation and employment trends in East Anglia; and if he will make a statement.

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Disabled People (Justin Tomlinson)]

In the east of England, the number of people in employment has increased by nearly 300,000 since 2010, and the employment rate is close to the highest on record.

[Sir Henry Bellingham]

Is the Minister aware that in my constituency unemployment has come down from 4.3% in 2010 to 1.5% last month, and that only last Friday Mars Food announced a very welcome £23 million investment in its King’s Lynn plant, thus creating more well paid, skilled jobs? Does he agree that in this post-Brexit climate we should all be doing what we can to flag up such successes?

[Justin Tomlinson]

That is yet another sign of just how fundamentally strong our economy is, which is helping us to deliver record numbers of people in employment.