Oral Answers to Questions

Alec Shelbrooke Excerpts

Monday 25th January 2021 Commons Chamber

[Mims Davies]

The young person needs to be on universal credit and working with our excellent work coaches. In respect of Hoxton and Poplar, which cover the hon. Lady’s constituency, we are recruiting 27 new work coaches in Hoxton and 67 in Poplar. Since the end of September, we have been working with the new Tower Hamlets youth hub, with local employers and gateways bringing opportunities. I encourage the hon. Lady to visit her local jobcentre to see what has happened there in the past year, because I do not believe she has visited and think that would put her mind at rest.

[Alec Shelbrooke (Elmet and Rothwell) (Con)]

What steps her Department is taking to help increase levels of employment among young people (a) during and (b) after the covid-19 outbreak.

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (Mims Davies)]

This Conservative Government and I, as the employment Minister, are committed to providing support to help our young people to move into work and avoid the long-term scarring effects of unemployment, both during the pandemic and as we recover from its impact. Our plan for jobs includes an expanded DWP youth offer, kickstart and more than 100 new youth hubs to assist young people to move into meaningful, sustained employment.

[Alec Shelbrooke [V]]

Small and medium-sized enterprises in my constituency have raised concerns about the time it takes to apply for the kickstart scheme. What action is the Department taking to ensure that applications are processed as quickly as possible?