Oral Answers to Questions

Gavin Shuker Excerpts

Tuesday 6th November 2012 Commons Chamber

[Greg Clark]

It is in everyone’s interest to support the path we have embarked on to pay down the deficit. We know that the confidence in the UK economy, which has led to record low interest rates, depends on credibility—a credibility that the policies of the Opposition, by borrowing more, would jeopardise.

[Gavin Shuker (Luton South) (Lab/Co-op)]

7. What recent assessment he has made of the effect of the Government’s fiscal policies on the level of long-term unemployment.

[Rushanara Ali (Bethnal Green and Bow) (Lab)]

9. What recent assessment he has made of the effect of the Government’s fiscal policies on the level of long-term youth unemployment.

[The Economic Secretary to the Treasury (Sajid Javid)]

The UK labour market is showing some signs of recovery. There are more people in work now than ever before, and youth unemployment is at its lowest since 2011. The Youth Contract was launched in April to support up to 500,000 young people into employment, and the Work programme has been under way since 2011.

[Gavin Shuker]

In my constituency, long-term youth unemployment is not up by 11% or 110%, but by 1,150%. Will the Government now apologise for their complacent decision to scrap the future jobs fund?

[Sajid Javid]

I think it is the hon. Gentleman who should be apologising. He is probably having a hard time explaining to his constituents why the number of young people on jobseeker’s allowance in the last five years of the previous Government went up by 45%. I have some good news for him, however. Under this Government, that number is down, and under this Government the number of vacancies in his local jobcentres is up by 30%.