Oral Answers to Questions

Maureen Burke Excerpts

Monday 12th October 2026 Commons Chamber

[Liz Twist (Blaydon and Consett) (Lab)]

14. What steps he is taking to support young people into employment.

[Maureen Burke (Glasgow North East) (Lab)]

18. What steps he is taking to support young people into employment.

[Luke Murphy (Basingstoke) (Lab)]

21. What steps he is taking to support young people into employment.

--- Later in debate ---

[Pat McFadden]

I am very happy to echo my hon. Friend’s congratulations to Derwentside college on all the work it is doing. With regard to a visit, I will do the best I can. I know that she is a passionate advocate for the college, and if I get an opportunity to visit, I most certainly will.

[Maureen Burke]

The Prime Minister hit the nail on the head when he said that too many young people have been failed by a schools system that focused too much

“on the university route, and not enough on technical education.”

It is not surprising that the number of young people on benefits has grown so significantly when the education system has failed to equip them with the skills they need for today’s jobs market. When I speak to unemployed young people in my constituency, they tell me that they are desperate to find work not just for the pay, but for a sense of purpose and the independence to shape their own future. The choice before us is clear: invest in young people’s success or create a lifetime of dependency, carrying a huge price for the taxpayer. Does the Secretary of State agree with me that we need to invest in young people’s success rather than leave them to languish on benefits?

[Pat McFadden]

Yes, I do agree with my hon. Friend. She is absolutely right to say that we need to invest in opportunity and success, and she has spoken admirably about her own life experiences in this House. As I have said, we are putting forward an additional £2.5 billion of investment in the youth guarantee and the growth and skills levy. We have recently announced that we are expanding the jobs guarantee to help eligible young people receiving health-related benefits. They should not be signed off and written off. Another point raised in her question is that too often in these debates, young people are attacked in a negative narrative in which they are described as “snowflakes” and “shirkers”. She is right to say that, given the chance, young people want to work, want to have a full life and do not want to spend it on benefits.