Youth Unemployment

Josh Dean Excerpts

Tuesday 17th March 2026 Commons Chamber

[Pat McFadden]

The hon. Member mentioned his career in washing up, and let me tell him that we have that in common, because one of my first jobs was as a dishwasher in what I believe was Scotland’s first Mexican restaurant, Viva Mexico. I inherited that job from the current First Minister of Scotland, John Swinney, the previous dishwasher in that restaurant, so we can be the three founding members of a national union of dishwashers.

The hon. Member asked for my message to employers in his constituency. It is to look at this package and avail themselves of the support in it—hiring bonuses for young unemployed people, specific help for small and medium-sized enterprises when hiring a young apprentice, and foundation apprentices for retail and hospitality industries. All those things should be good for the small businesses, particularly those in the hospitality sector, in his constituency.

[Josh Dean (Hertford and Stortford) (Lab)]

I really welcome this Government’s investment in our young people’s futures, but almost half of NEET young people are disconnected from the benefit system and traditional support. I know from my experience of leaving school at 16 just how much of a difference youth workers and trusted adults can make in giving those hidden young people a bridge into support. Can the Secretary of State say a little more about the role that he sees trusted adults playing in supporting young people into work, and reflect on the work of the pilots and the youth trailblazer areas in looking at the co-location of youth services and employment support?

[Pat McFadden]

My hon. Friend makes the very important point that a significant proportion of the 1 million young people not in education, employment or training are not claiming benefits at all, and not signing on for standard universal credit or the health element.

One way in which we want to reach those young people is through the expansion of our youth hub programme, which gives them a chance to come into a place—often a sports or community institution—and get a range of help on the health front, the housing front and the work-finding front, because young people do not live their lives according to Whitehall departmental boundaries, and why should they? It is up to us to tailor the help to the way they live their lives, and get it to them in the places where they want to be.

Oral Answers to Questions

Josh Dean Excerpts

Monday 9th March 2026 Commons Chamber

[Josh Dean (Hertford and Stortford) (Lab)]

13. What steps he is taking to support young people into employment, education or training.

[Anneliese Midgley (Knowsley) (Lab)]

21. What steps he is taking to support young people into employment, education or training.

--- Later in debate ---

[Pat McFadden]

I thank my hon. Friend for highlighting the excellent work of the David Nieper Academy in achieving NEET zero, and I congratulate it on doing so. She mentions the career service pathfinder in Wakefield, which was launched in April 2025. We are testing more personalised employment support, and evaluation is under way to understand how this approach works. It is right that we approach these matters with flexibility and innovation, and do not always do what we have always done.

[Josh Dean]

A young person with undiagnosed attention deficit hyperactivity disorder is more likely not to be in education, employment or training. That is driven by a lack of recognition, treatment and tailored support. The expert-led NHS ADHD taskforce estimates that the cost to the UK economy of unsupported ADHD is £17 billion each year, but, with the right support, young people with ADHD can thrive. Will the Secretary of State set out how the Department is working across Government, including through the Milburn review, to ensure that young people with ADHD can access the support they need to thrive in work and reach their potential?

[Pat McFadden]

I know that my hon. Friend has spoken movingly about his own experience with ADHD. I assure him that Alan Milburn, a former Health Secretary who is carrying out this report for us, is in regular contact with the chair and secretariat of the independent review into prevalence and support for mental health conditions, ADHD and autism, which is being carried out by the Department of Health and Social Care. More broadly, we should support young people, try to increase their confidence and ensure they do not conclude that a diagnosis means that they cannot work, because that should not be the conclusion reached. Many people who do have a diagnosis can go on to have very productive working lives.

Young People not in Education, Employment or Training

Josh Dean Excerpts

Wednesday 26th November 2025 Westminster Hall

[Josh Dean (Hertford and Stortford) (Lab)]

It is a pleasure to serve with you in the Chair, Mr Dowd. I thank my hon. Friend the Member for Amber Valley (Linsey Farnsworth) for securing the debate.

Of the almost 1 million young people not in education, employment or training, almost 600,000 are economically inactive and disengaged from mainstream employment support, and around 400,000 are hidden NEETs—unemployed, but not claiming universal credit. I will focus my remarks on those young people.

I welcome the measures brought forward by the Government, but this is a crisis of opportunity that cannot be tackled through a strong employment and skills offer alone. That is why we must be more effective in identifying, reaching and engaging young people to bridge them into support.

Youth workers and trusted adults are the missing piece of the puzzle to unlock the potential of NEET young people. They can build young people’s confidence and resilience; address barriers across education, mental health or employment; act as a gateway to proven interventions; and reduce the risk of disengagement through advocacy and guidance. That claim is supported by a growing evidence base: a paper from the Youth Futures Foundation, published earlier this year, identified the unique role that trusted adults can play in identifying and engaging harder-to-reach young people, and explored their role in delivering the change required to address that challenge.

We know, for example, that mental ill health has an impact on economic inactivity among young people, and that this is driven in part by a reduction in child and youth services. We need to take a holistic approach across Government. As we move ahead with some really strong flagship offers for young people—the national youth strategy, the youth guarantee and Young Futures hubs—we have an opportunity to deliver a shared long-term vision for young people across Government that puts relationships with trusted adults and the need for good employment at its heart.

The integration of youth provision, employment and skills support is being explored in some youth guarantee trailblazer areas. In his response, could the Minister reflect on its impact in those areas and whether that offers a model for elsewhere in the country?

Neurodivergent People: Employment

Josh Dean Excerpts

Tuesday 9th September 2025 Westminster Hall

[Josh Dean (Hertford and Stortford) (Lab)]

It is a pleasure to serve with you in the Chair this afternoon, Ms McVey. I thank the hon. Member for Ely and East Cambridgeshire (Charlotte Cane) for securing this important debate. It is a pleasure to be able to contribute.

In my office we are very open about neurodivergence, and I am proud to work with a neurodiverse team on behalf of our residents in Hertford and Stortford. Without the support and insights of my team, I would not have been able to recognise my own neurodivergence.

In May this year I was diagnosed with ADHD, something that I am learning to navigate alongside my role as an MP and in daily life. When I was first diagnosed, I did not think much of it. I had always known that there was something just a little bit different—with a mum who is a special educational needs co-ordinator, we probably should have realised just a little bit earlier. But as time has passed, I have had the opportunity to reflect on what my diagnosis means for daily life and how it has helped me to answer questions about some of the challenges I encountered in school and work which, until now, seemed to defy explanation.

Why did my mind wander, even in subjects I really enjoyed while I was at school? Why did I feel the need to jump from task to task without finishing or, almost without realising it, to procrastinate when I was approaching something difficult? I felt anxious that I was lazy or stupid, and when I was pulled up on it, I could not explain it. Now, with the right support and medication, the fog that I have unknowingly carried around with me for most of my life has lifted and I can see that I am neither of those things—just a little bit different.

I choose now to speak openly about my experience and how it made me feel, because I hope that it will encourage any young person living with those same anxieties to seek the support that they need to overcome them and because I want them to know that they can be an MP or do whatever else it is they want to do while living with ADHD or any other kind of neurodivergence. Neurodivergent young people—all neurodivergent people—are brimming with talent, but too often the additional support or alternative provisions they need to thrive are lacking. We can see that in the challenges that they experience when seeking employment.

Young people, in particular, face specific barriers to accessing employment, especially in the transition from education to work. Over the summer, I met families, parents and carers across Hertford and Stortford to discuss their experiences of the SEND system. Without straying too far from the topic of the debate, I want to share two things they shared with me that I believe are important.

The first is that early identification, whole-family support and access to the right care, support and educational and social opportunities are essential in paving the way for neurodivergent young people to achieve better outcomes when accessing employment. The second is the need for personalised, long-term support for neurodivergent young people as they make the transition not just from education to employment, but from children’s to adult’s services. Support to stay in employment is crucial too.

I know that the Minister takes these issues seriously, so I would be grateful if he could touch in his response on the work that he and the Department are undertaking, both within the Department and across Government, to ensure that neurodivergent young people can access timely diagnoses and support. On the point about fantastic businesses and charities in our constituencies, will he also tell us how the Government will learn from and support organisations such as Mudlarks in my constituency, which has been working with young people and neurodivergent and learning-disabled people for many years, providing vital and valuable opportunities?

Oral Answers to Questions

Josh Dean Excerpts

Monday 11th November 2024 Commons Chamber

[Liz Kendall]

The hon. Gentleman raises an extremely important point. It is not right that his constituent, who wants to work, has suffered from a mental health problem but does not have the support that he needs. In parts of the country, steps have been taken to help provide the healthcare and other support that people need, but we need to go further, faster. My hon. Friend the Minister for Employment will indeed meet the hon. Gentleman. Let’s get cracking on this and see what we can do.

[Josh Dean (Hertford and Stortford) (Lab)]

T2. On my recent visit to Hertford and Ware food bank, hard-working volunteers raised with me the damaging impact of rules introduced under the previous Conservative Government, which prevent jobcentres from referring benefits claimants to food banks. Does my right hon. Friend agree that those changes prevent some of the most vulnerable people in our communities from accessing support in an emergency, and will she set out the steps that the Department will take to reverse them?

[The Minister for Employment (Alison McGovern)]

There have been changes to ensure that referrals are GDPR-compliant, but I will happily discuss this issue with my hon. Friend. The very best jobcentres are closely linked with local support organisations, and we must ensure that that is the case everywhere.

International Investment Summit

Josh Dean Excerpts

Thursday 17th October 2024 Commons Chamber

[Josh Dean (Hertford and Stortford) (Lab)]

I congratulate all my hon. Friends on their deeply eloquent and moving maiden speeches this afternoon. It is a real pleasure to be in the Chamber to hear them.

I take this opportunity to commend those on the Government Front Bench for a successful, record-breaking investment summit earlier this week. The investment of £63 billion represents a real vote of confidence in this Government’s mission to grow our economy. I welcome in particular the announcement this week of a five-year programme of investment at Stansted airport, which is a major employer in our constituency of Hertford and Stortford. That programme totals £1.1 billion, including a £600 million investment in an extension to the airport’s existing terminal. That investment in the east of England’s largest single-site employer will not only provide an even better passenger experience, but help to connect our region’s innovative sectors and creative industries with their international partners.

In Bishop’s Stortford, Stansted airport is right on our doorstep, providing employment for around 1,500 residents in our town and surrounding areas. That contributes roughly £140 million in gross value added to our constituency. The terminal extension alone represents up to 5,000 additional on-site jobs, offering further employment opportunities for our residents and strong rail and bus links to our constituency, meaning that even more commuters will be able to take public transport to work. On that point, I welcome the recent Department for Transport announcement that contactless payments will be rolled out on the Stansted airport line in 2025. That will allow residents at Bishop’s Stortford and Sawbridgeworth stations to make use of tap in, tap out payments for the first time. That is an important step in improving rail travel for the many who rely on it in our constituency.

The House may already know that Stansted airport is the only major airport in this country with a purpose-built, on-site technical skills college, but I will tell the House more. Stansted airport college offers vocational training opportunities to young people in our community, and it is delivering record numbers of apprentice students into employment in aviation, helping to fill urgent skills gaps in the sector with our local talent.

Under this Government, I want Hertford and Stortford to be an even better place to live, work and learn. The investment promises to open new doors for our residents to new opportunities to gain skills for life and find meaningful work. It is also a clear signal that under this Government, Britain is once again open for business, and I hugely welcome it.

Carer’s Allowance

Josh Dean Excerpts

Wednesday 16th October 2024 Commons Chamber

[Josh Dean (Hertford and Stortford) (Lab)]

I thank hon. Members for their constructive contributions to this debate, on a topic that I know is important to all our constituents. The enormous contributions made to our communities by unpaid or family carers have rightly been recognised across the House. We know that our country would grind to a halt without them, but many today are pushed to breaking point caring for those they love, and that cannot be right. The treatment of unpaid carers, unknowingly overpaid their carer’s allowance under the previous Administration, was unacceptable. Having spoken to unpaid carers in Hertford and Stortford, I know that those failures have caused many of them stress, and shockingly even left some in fear of claiming the carer’s allowance to which they are rightly entitled.

I know that local benefits advice has been invaluable to those residents, and I pay tribute to the work of Citizens Advice East Herts and other groups that offer a lifeline to those in need of support. I welcome today’s announcement from the Minister that the Government will launch a review into carer’s allowance overpayments. I am pleased that the review will look at not only what went wrong previously but, importantly, how we can prevent such problems in the future. I know that it will be welcomed by carers and unpaid family carers in my community. I am proud that the Government recognise the challenges faced by unpaid carers, and it is essential that we consider how we can provide them with the support that they deserve. I am heartened by our commitment to introduce flexible working as a right, to provide time away from work for caring responsibilities, and to join up services so that my constituents do not have to battle to get the care for their loved ones that they need.

It is also important that we turn to the task of delivering much-needed reform in adult social care. The Government’s commitment to reform of the sector, with an ambition to build a world-class national care service, is something that I am sure we all support. It is right that the project will be undertaken in collaboration with care users and their families, sector partners and care organisations, to ensure that their lived experiences are at the heart of the social care system that we build. I look forward to working with those groups in my constituency to ensure that their voices are heard.

We will all have received correspondence from constituents sharing their personal experiences of the social care system. Many of us will have relatives or friends who have struggled to access care themselves, and others will have caring responsibilities too. Now is our opportunity to fix unpaid care, and the social care system more widely, and deliver lasting change for the future. I warmly welcome today’s announcement and the Government’s programme for reform.