Contributions
1,153 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDYouth UnemploymentThe hon. Member raises an important point. The issue of youth inactivity does not start at the age of 16; it often starts well before that. The reforms to the SEND system…17 Mar 2026HANSARDYouth UnemploymentIt will apply to young people between the ages of 18 and 24. The hiring bonus will be available from this summer, and we will look at having a retention mechanism so that people…17 Mar 2026HANSARDYouth UnemploymentIn fact, we can hear them claiming it right now. But the truth is that the number of young people not in education, employment or training rose by 250,000 in the three years…17 Mar 2026HANSARDYouth UnemploymentMy hon. Friend is right: there is a particular challenge for young carers. A significant proportion of the 1 million young people who are not in education, employment or training…17 Mar 2026HANSARDYouth UnemploymentThe hon. Member mentioned his career in washing up, and let me tell him that we have that in common, because one of my first jobs was as a dishwasher in what I believe was…17 Mar 2026HANSARDYouth UnemploymentI would like to make a statement on our new package of support to tackle the long-term problem of youth unemployment. Let me begin by wishing you, Madam Deputy Speaker, and the…17 Mar 2026HANSARDYouth UnemploymentI think employers want to do the right thing—they want to give young people a chance. My hon. Friend asks whether the incentives can be stacked, and the answer is yes. For…17 Mar 2026HANSARDYouth UnemploymentYouth unemployment has been going up since 2022—it has been going up for around four years. What we have not had is a specific package to tackle it, but that changes with the…17 Mar 2026HANSARDYouth UnemploymentThe hon. Gentleman opposes the changes that we made to national insurance, but he neglects to mention that employer national insurance contributions are not required for employees…17 Mar 2026HANSARDYouth UnemploymentYes, of course. I want to work with the Scotland Office, the Scottish Government and anyone who can make an impact. I visited the Bellshill jobcentre in central Scotland just…17 Mar 2026HANSARDYouth UnemploymentMy hon. Friend says that young people deserve support; I believe that with the right support, young people want to work and to make the most of their life. He asked how people in…17 Mar 2026HANSARDYouth UnemploymentThese short courses or apprenticeship units are something that employers have called for. Until now the minimum length of time for an apprenticeship has usually been eight or 12…17 Mar 2026HANSARDYouth UnemploymentMy hon. Friend is right. Let me repeat what he said, so that the whole House hears it: when the Conservative party was in power, there was not a single year in which youth…17 Mar 2026HANSARDYouth UnemploymentI fear that the hon. Lady’s response was written without her listening to a word in the statement. She has confirmed that the Conservative party not only bequeathed us the…17 Mar 2026HANSARDYouth UnemploymentThis package can make a big contribution towards that. As I have said, there are 50,000 vacancies in manufacturing in the UK today. That is partly because of the difficulty that…17 Mar 2026HANSARDYouth UnemploymentMy hon. Friend asks about disabled young people. It is really important that we get more help and support to disabled people who, in the past, were too often signed off, written…17 Mar 2026HANSARDYouth UnemploymentMy hon. Friend makes the very important point that a significant proportion of the 1 million young people not in education, employment or training are not claiming benefits at…17 Mar 2026HANSARDYouth UnemploymentI welcome my hon. Friend’s question and her praise for the great city of Newcastle, which I am sure we would all echo. On small and medium-sized businesses, she is right that we…17 Mar 2026HANSARDYouth UnemploymentI am not sure whether the hon. Gentleman’s description of this statement will do me good or harm among my right hon. and hon. Friends, but once again he makes the mistake of…17 Mar 2026HANSARDYouth UnemploymentAs the right hon. Member knows, I have great respect for him. I am happy to reach out to upReach to speak about the work to which he refers. As I said a moment ago in response to…17 Mar 2026