Oral Answers to Questions

Rushanara Ali Excerpts

Tuesday 6th November 2012 Commons Chamber

[Gavin Shuker (Luton South) (Lab/Co-op)]

7. What recent assessment he has made of the effect of the Government’s fiscal policies on the level of long-term unemployment.

[Rushanara Ali (Bethnal Green and Bow) (Lab)]

9. What recent assessment he has made of the effect of the Government’s fiscal policies on the level of long-term youth unemployment.

[Tom Greatrex (Rutherglen and Hamilton West) (Lab/Co-op)]

15. What recent assessment he has made of the effect of the Government’s fiscal policies on the level of long-term youth unemployment.

--- Later in debate ---

[Sajid Javid]

I think it is the hon. Gentleman who should be apologising. He is probably having a hard time explaining to his constituents why the number of young people on jobseeker’s allowance in the last five years of the previous Government went up by 45%. I have some good news for him, however. Under this Government, that number is down, and under this Government the number of vacancies in his local jobcentres is up by 30%.

[Rushanara Ali]

All other Olympic boroughs received a much-needed economic boost from the Olympic games, but the Office for National Statistics figures show that youth unemployment increased in my constituency between June and October, not to mention the 141% increase in long-term youth unemployment in the past year. Does the Minister agree that tackling this problem requires action from the Government, with a bank bonus tax to fund 100,000 jobs for young people, and action locally by the council, to take this issue seriously?

[Sajid Javid]

I know the hon. Lady takes this issue very seriously, which is why I believe she took her right hon. Friend the shadow Chancellor to Queen Mary university recently to discuss it with young people. I hope that they told young people that under the previous Government youth unemployment was created as a problem—up 72% in 10 years. I hope she also told them that youth unemployment has fallen by 62,000 in the last quarter because of the Youth Contract, the Work programme, investment in apprenticeships and other Government policies.