Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Peter Tapsell and Danny Alexander

Tuesday 14th May 2013 Commons Chamber

[Danny Alexander]

In this matter, a wee bit of humility from the Labour party would not go amiss, on the basis that youth unemployment has been a persistent problem in this country for many years—youth unemployment has been rising since 2003 or 2004. I note that, in the hon. Gentleman’s constituency between December 2010 and December 2012, youth unemployment fell by 11.8%. Through measures such as the Youth Contract and the Work programme, we are deploying considerable support for the task that he and I agree on, which is getting more young people into work.

[Sir Peter Tapsell (Louth and Horncastle) (Con)]

Did the Chief Secretary to the Treasury note that, while Finance Ministers seemed remarkably cheerful in Aylesbury last weekend, the Archbishop of Toledo was warning that their fiscal policies were threatening to cause social breakdown and the overthrow of democracy in Spain and much of southern Europe?

[Danny Alexander]

I am afraid that I had not noted the comments of the Archbishop of Toledo, but I did notice the successful G7 Finance Ministers meeting.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Peter Tapsell and Danny Alexander

Tuesday 13th July 2010 Commons Chamber

[Danny Alexander]

No, that is not true. The plain fact is that, as I said earlier, we have the fastest growing debt and the largest deficit in the European Union apart from Ireland. In the Budget we have taken action to ensure that we prevent the key risk facing growth in this country, which is a failure to take action and a failure to restore confidence in the economy, potentially causing us the sort of problems that we have seen in other European countries. That is the problem that we need to avoid.

[Sir Peter Tapsell (Louth and Horncastle) (Con)]

Does the Chief Secretary agree that it is the refinancing capability of the national debt as redemption dates are reached that really matters?

[Danny Alexander]

Of course that matters, but what matters more than anything is the risks that this economy would have faced if we had stuck with the plans of the previous Government, which would have risked higher interest rates, lower growth and fewer jobs, and there would have been very big risks in the future.