Oral Answers to Questions

Mark Hoban Excerpts

Monday 11th March 2013 Commons Chamber

[Chris Skidmore (Kingswood) (Con)]

1. How many young people have received support through the Get Britain Working programme to date.

[The Minister of State, Department for Work and Pensions (Mr Mark Hoban)]

Between January 2011 and November 2012, about 106,000 young people aged between 18 and 24 received support through Get Britain Working, including work experience and sector-based work academies. Many young people have also benefited from the help offered through volunteering, and work and enterprise clubs.

[Chris Skidmore]

Job clubs and job fairs play an important role in the Get Britain Working scheme. In Kingswood, as the local Member of Parliament, I have organised four job fairs so far, as well as running a weekly job club. Does my hon. Friend agree that we as MPs have a vital role to play in Get Britain Working by organising job fairs and job clubs and getting our constituents back to work?

[Mr Hoban]

My hon. Friend is well known for his support for getting young people into work, and I commend him on the job club and job fairs that he has run. As a result of the collective effort between employers, Members of Parliament, Jobcentre Plus and others, youth unemployment today is lower than it was in May 2010.

[Mr Barry Sheerman (Huddersfield) (Lab/Co-op)]

Does the Minister not realise that however good some of these programmes are—and some of them are quite good—we are not doing enough? Nearly a million young people are unemployed. There must be more imagination. Could we not agree on a cross-party basis that we must not allow young people to fester in unemployment any longer?

[Mr Hoban]

No one should be complacent about the challenge that young people are facing, but I should point out to the hon. Gentleman that, if full-time students are excluded, 66,000 more young people have been in work over the last quarter. We are seeing more progress, but we must not be complacent, and we must not forget that the problem started some time ago.

[Mr Philip Hollobone (Kettering) (Con)]

What progress is being made with sector-based work academies? Which sectors are being targeted, and in which parts of the country?

[Mr Hoban]

My hon. Friend is right to point out what an important part of our programme sector-based work academies represent. They provide a combination of work experience, training and a guaranteed job interview. Jobcentre Plus will work closely with employers throughout the country to organise the right type of sector-based work academies, but I encourage Members to work with jobcentres to identify good opportunities in that regard.

[Sheila Gilmore (Edinburgh East) (Lab)]

A constituent of mine, aged 20, has spent a year and a quarter on the Work programme, and has had six meetings with three different advisers during that time. He still has no job, and has had no job offers. He eventually found a Barnardo’s course, but was told that he would not be allowed to go on it because he was on the Work programme. Is the programme not failing such young people?

[Mr Hoban]

I think the hon. Lady should raise issues about training in Scotland with the Scottish Government, who are responsible for it. They will not allow people on the Work programme to go on Scottish Government-funded courses, and I suspect that that is where the problem lies.

[Grahame M. Morris (Easington) (Lab)]

2. What steps he is taking to tackle the increased use of pension liberation schemes.

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[Mr Stephen Hepburn (Jarrow) (Lab)]

10. What steps he is taking to tackle long-term unemployment.

[The Minister of State, Department for Work and Pensions (Mr Mark Hoban)]

Long-term unemployment fell by 15,000 last month. Our main initiative to help get people who are long-term unemployed into work is the Work programme. In the period to September 2012, 200,000 people found work as a consequence of the Work programme.

[Mr Hepburn]

Long-term unemployment in my constituency went up by 67% last year. Does that not tell us exactly what the Tories are like in this country today? Will the Minister stand up, put his hands up and admit that the policies of the millionaires in government are totally failing the ordinary people of this country?

[Mr Hoban]

I would have thought that the hon. Gentleman would want to celebrate the fact that an additional 21,000 people in the north-east are in work compared with a year ago. Yes, there are deep-seated challenges in the north-east, but I am confident that progress is being made in rebalancing the economy, and that is down to the strength of the private sector.

[Mr Nick Gibb (Bognor Regis and Littlehampton) (Con)]

May I ask my hon. Friend what happens when someone who is long-term unemployed rings Worthing benefits centre given its failure to return calls within even the three-hour performance target and its failure to meet the target of processing 85% of employment and support allowance payments within the target of 16 days? What action is being taken to remedy the position, and when does he anticipate that the centre will be meeting all its performance targets?

[Mr Hoban]

My hon. Friend is right to highlight the issues at Worthing benefits centre. As a consequence of a very high level of applications for ESA, there is some pressure on performance at the centre. Work is being done to help tackle the backlog and to get back to the 85% level. Managers from the Department are happy to meet my hon. Friend to discuss the situation.

[Robert Halfon (Harlow) (Con)]

11. What assessment he has made of recent trends in unemployment.

[James Wharton (Stockton South) (Con)]

13. What assessment he has made of recent trends in unemployment.

[The Minister of State, Department for Work and Pensions (Mr Mark Hoban)]

Unemployment has been falling in each of the last 11 months; on the International Labour Organisation measure it is down by 156,000. The unemployment rate is now lower than it was in 2010. This is testament to the strength of the private sector, which has created 1 million net new jobs since May 2010.

[Robert Halfon]

My hon. Friend will be aware that Tesco has announced the closure of a huge depot in Harlow, with the possible loss of 800 jobs. Will he work constructively with the Union of Shop, Distributive and Allied Workers, which is trying to ensure that the workers who are offered jobs in other plants get the same pay and conditions?

[Mr Hoban]

I can assure my hon. Friend that Jobcentre Plus is working with Tesco and has offered full rapid response team support. Discussions are focusing on redeployment and other opportunities to help the work force to secure new jobs.

[James Wharton]

In Stockton South youth unemployment has fallen from 11.3% to 9.6% January to January. This is a welcome trend, but I would like it to go further. What are the Government doing to ensure that it can continue over the coming year?

[Mr Hoban]

I am delighted to welcome the news of what is happening in Stockton South. That is in contrast to what has happened in Jarrow, but it demonstrates the resilience of the economy in the north-east. The fact that 40,000 extra private sector jobs have been created in the north-east over the past couple of years demonstrates that while there are difficult challenges, the economy is rebalancing, and that should be to the benefit of everyone there.

[Wayne David (Caerphilly) (Lab)]

Will the Minister kindly tell the House how many young people are unemployed?

[Mr Hoban]

According to the ILO measure, 974,000 young people are unemployed, about 300,000 of whom are full-time students. Over the past few months there has been an increase of 66,000 in the number of young people in work.

[Alison McGovern (Wirral South) (Lab)]

The Minister mentioned the so-called 1 million new jobs. With reference to the labour force survey, will he tell me how many of those so-called new jobs arise from reclassification and how many represent people who are under-employed?

[Mr Hoban]

If the hon. Lady looks at the labour force survey, she will see that the figure is 1 million net new jobs. She talks about people being under-employed. I hope that she is not being condescending to those of her constituents and mine who are working part-time and want to work part-time.

[John Stevenson (Carlisle) (Con)]

20. Does the Minister agree that the economic success and, indeed, the social success of places like Carlisle depend on the creation of private sector jobs? Will he confirm that to help to achieve this he will ensure that it is always better financially to be in employment than on benefits?

[Mr Hoban]

That is absolutely at the heart of the roll-out of universal credit, which will mean that people know that they are better off in work, and better off working more hours and earning more than working fewer hours and earning less. That incentive to get paid work is at the heart of our welfare reforms.

[Katy Clark (North Ayrshire and Arran) (Lab)]

12. If he will reconsider the decision not to include residential properties owned by local authorities for temporary accommodation in the definition of temporary accommodation contained in the Housing Benefit (Amendment) Regulations 2012.

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[Jeremy Lefroy (Stafford) (Con)]

22. How many people are in receipt of out-of-work benefits; and what assessment he has made of the level of inactivity in (a) Stafford constituency and (b) England.

[The Minister of State, Department for Work and Pensions (Mr Mark Hoban)]

The proportion of people who are in work or looking for work is the highest for more than two decades, and the number of people who are claiming the main out-of-work benefits has fallen by 230,000 since 2010. In Stafford, about 5,000 people are claiming one of those benefits, which is down on the year and down since 2010.

[Jeremy Lefroy]

Last month, inactivity fell to the lowest rate since 1991 at just 22.3% of the working-age population. What has contributed to that fall?

[Mr Hoban]

There is a range of factors, including the resilience of the private sector in creating jobs and the fact that people are able to work more flexibly and thereby manage health conditions and look after children while working part time. The Government have had a relentless focus on using welfare reform to encourage more people to look for jobs and move into work. The benefit of that is starting to flow through.

[Mr Clive Betts (Sheffield South East) (Lab)]

T1. If he will make a statement on his departmental responsibilities.

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[Sheila Gilmore (Edinburgh East) (Lab)]

T2. Mandatory reconsideration after employment and support allowance is refused and when somebody wants to appeal can lead to people being without either ESA or jobseeker’s allowance. Will the Minister ensure that a short time limit is set on reconsiderations so that people are not left without any income?

[The Minister of State, Department for Work and Pensions (Mr Mark Hoban)]

Mandatory reconsideration is in place to help accelerate decision making, so that the Department can revisit a case rather than have to wait for it to go to the tribunal. We try to keep delays as short as possible to ensure that we get the right outcome and get the right support to people as quickly as possible.

[Paul Uppal (Wolverhampton South West) (Con)]

T6. As the Minister may be aware, the number of private sector jobs in the west midlands decreased under the last Labour Government. Will he welcome the news, as I do, that Jaguar Land Rover is increasing investment in the engine plant in Wolverhampton by £150 million, creating an additional 700 high-skilled jobs?

[Mr Hoban]

My hon. Friend is right to celebrate the achievements of Jaguar Land Rover. In national apprenticeship week, I commend him for his work to promote apprenticeships in his constituency. He is right, and he points the way towards how a private sector-led recovery can increase employment. That is why we have seen 107,000 additional jobs in the west midlands.

[Ann McKechin (Glasgow North) (Lab)]

T5. Local housing associations in my area are deeply concerned about their ability to provide services as a result of this year’s welfare changes. What assessment will the Secretary of State make of their credit ratings, both this year and next? Does he expect them to go down the way?

[Glyn Davies (Montgomeryshire) (Con)]

T7. Last week we discussed in the House the treatment of women across the world. To deliver equality and fairness of treatment in the United Kingdom, we must ensure equal access to work and remuneration. Does my hon. Friend agree that it is important to make a continuing assessment of the number of women in work?

[Mr Hoban]

My hon. Friend will celebrate, as I did on international women’s day, the fact that there are record numbers of women in work and that the number of women unemployed has fallen by 29,000 over the past year. We need to do more to get women in work, and universal credit will help, but it is important also to celebrate the flexibility of the labour market, which enables more and more people to work part time to meet their responsibilities.

[Mr Jim Cunningham (Coventry South) (Lab)]

T9. Why is the Secretary of State disregarding research by the National Housing Federation which shows that the discretionary fund to provide help with the bedroom tax is £100 million short of what is required?

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[Mr Stewart Jackson (Peterborough) (Con)]

There is significant concern across the country about the likelihood of welfare dependency as a result of immigration from Romania and Bulgaria from January 2014. Will the Minister look urgently at the habitual residence test within the context of the free movement directive and ensure that such issues are addressed in good time?

[Mr Hoban]

I assure my hon. Friend that we apply a habitual residence test to see whether people moving from other EU states are entitled to means-tested benefits. We will continue to look at that test and at what more can be done to strengthen it.

[Susan Elan Jones (Clwyd South) (Lab)]

Will the Secretary of State consider introducing a compulsory jobs guarantee for people who have been unemployed for two years or more?

[Mr Hoban]

The hon. Lady should be commended for trying to trot out a policy that I thought the Opposition had dropped two or three weeks ago. When such a scheme was piloted under the previous Government, it demonstrated that it was not good value for money or good for the unemployed. The hon. Lady should welcome the measures the Government are taking to get people into work. That is why record numbers of people are in work and unemployment has continued to fall for 11 months in a row.

[Philip Davies (Shipley) (Con)]

Although the Labour party thinks that the benefit cap is too low, the majority of my constituents think it is far too high. May I urge the Secretary of State to ignore the left-wing bishops, who probably do not even speak for the majority of people who go to church each week, let alone the vast majority of the British people?