Oral Answers to Questions

Chris Skidmore Excerpts

Monday 7th September 2015 Commons Chamber

[Mr Speaker]

I call Barbara Keeley. Not here.

[Chris Skidmore (Kingswood) (Con)]

3. What progress the Government have made on reducing the rate of unemployment.

[Mrs Sheryll Murray (South East Cornwall) (Con)]

5. What progress the Government have made on reducing the rate of unemployment.

--- Later in debate ---

[Chris Skidmore]

Last month’s figures showed that the number of people in Kingswood claiming jobseeker’s allowance had fallen by 23% since July 2014. Does my right hon. Friend agree that that shows that the Government’s welfare reforms are helping people back into work, and that the Conservatives are now the true workers’ party thanks to our long-term economic plan?

[Mr Duncan Smith]

My hon. Friend is, of course, right. People should remember what we inherited, which was a collapsing economy and huge levels of unemployment. Under this Government, some 1,000 more people are in work each day and employment is up by more than 350,000 to more than 31 million. Really importantly, 14.5 million women are in work, which is a record high that the last Labour Government never, ever achieved.