Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment her Department has made of trends in the level of long-term youth unemployment in (a) Aldershot constituency and (b) Hampshire; and what (i) financial and (ii) other steps she is taking to tackle long-term youth unemployment in those areas.

There are 100,000 people aged 16-24 who have been unemployed for over 12 months, 16.8% of all 16-24s who are unemployed.

The sample sizes from survey data for Aldershot and Hampshire are too small, so it is not possible to make a robust estimate of the level of long-term youth unemployment for these areas.

My department, working closely with the Department for Education, are developing the Youth Guarantee, to offer localised support to all young people aged 18-21 years old not in education, employment or training. We will ensure they have access to quality opportunities for training, an apprenticeship or help to find work that is sustainable.

In Aldershot, service delivery teams are working with a range of local partners and employers across the community to support to young people into work, including the care leaver charity Step by Step, Rushmoor Borough Council and other providers.

In Hampshire, a range of Flexible Support Funded local courses are in place to deliver place based employment support to young people with additional barriers, such as care leavers, neurodivergence and mental health. More widely, there are a number of Youth Hubs in Hampshire, ensuring a joined up approach with multiple partners to co-deliver employment, training and life skills support to bring them closer to employment.