Youth Unemployment

Luke Charters Excerpts
Tuesday 17th March 2026

(1 day, 9 hours ago)

Commons Chamber
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Pat McFadden Portrait Pat McFadden
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It will apply to young people between the ages of 18 and 24. The hiring bonus will be available from this summer, and we will look at having a retention mechanism so that people are not hired one day and let go the next.

Luke Charters Portrait Mr Luke Charters (York Outer) (Lab)
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Apprenticeship starts fell under the last Government, largely driven by the reduced uptake from SMEs, so today’s SME incentive is a game-changer. Can the Minister confirm that that incentive can be stacked with other incentives—for example, when hiring a care leaver—and will he send a message from the Dispatch Box to York employers that they should take on apprentices and provide the opportunity of a lifetime?