Monday Volume 507 15 March 2010 No. 57 HOUSE OF COMMONS OFFICIAL REPORT PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES (HANSARD) Monday 15 March 2010 £5·00 © Parliamentary Copyright House of Commons 2010 This publication may be reproduced under the terms of the Parliamentary Click-Use Licence, available online through the Office of Public Sector Information website at www.opsi.gov.uk/click-use/ Enquiries to the Office of Public Sector Information, Kew, Richmond, Surrey TW9 4DU; e-mail: [email protected] 589 15 MARCH 2010 590 to pay less to have one of these placements instead of House of Commons paying the minimum wage, which has been so hard fought for? Monday 15 March 2010 Jonathan Shaw: The hon. Gentleman is right to remind the House of the minimum wage, which was introduced The House met at half-past Two o’clock by the Labour Government and resisted in many quarters; I am pleased to say that there is now some consensus. We will ensure with contractors—our providers who PRAYERS ensure that we get places for people who have been out of work for two years, beginning with the pilot areas of Greater Manchester, Cambridge, Norfolk and Suffolk—that [MR.SPEAKER in the Chair] there is no displacement. This is about work experience. For people who have been out of work, that is an important part of their being able to get back to work. BUSINESS BEFORE QUESTIONS We think that if people are given that opportunity, they should take it. DEATH OF A MEMBER Jobseeker’s Allowance (North Wiltshire) Mr. Speaker: I regret to have to report to the House the death of Dr. Ashok Kumar, Member for Middlesbrough, 2. Mr. James Gray (North Wiltshire) (Con): How South and East Cleveland. Ashok was a most assiduous many jobseeker’s allowance claimants there were Member, much respected by the House and, by professional (a) nationally and (b) in North Wiltshire constituency background, a very fine chemical engineer. I am sure (i) on the latest date for which figures are available and that Members in all parts of the House will join me in (ii) 12 months before that date. [321773] mourning the loss of a colleague and extending our sympathy to the hon. Member’s family and friends. The Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (Yvette Cooper): May I also pay a personal tribute to my hon. Friend the Member for Middlesbrough, South and East Cleveland, who we will all sadly miss and whose family Oral Answers to Questions are in our thoughts today? In the past 12 months, as a result of the recession, the claimant count nationally has risen from 1.3 million to WORK AND PENSIONS 1.6 million—500,000 fewer than expected this time last year. In Wiltshire, it has risen from 5,250 to 7,300 in the past 12 months, but remains less than half the 15,000 level The Secretary of State was asked— that it reached during the last recession in the 1990s. Work for Your Benefit Measures Mr. Gray: The question was about the North Wiltshire constituency rather than the county of Wiltshire. In 1. John Mason (Glasgow, East) (SNP): What recent North Wiltshire, in January this year, the figure for assessment she has made of the effects on low-paid jobseeker’s allowance was 1,735—some 500 higher than workers of her Department’s “work for your benefit this time last year, and the highest figure since Labour came to power. That is against the figure of 294 jobs measures”; and if she will make a statement. [321772] advertised in North Wiltshire. Will the Secretary of I am sure that all Back-Benchers and other Members State comment on so-called ghost vacancies, which may of the House would want to share in your comments, have inflated that figure? These are vacancies that do Mr. Speaker, and, especially, to pass on our condolences not exist but which employment agencies have created to the family of the Member. in order to collect CVs more or less fraudulently. The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Work Yvette Cooper: The way in which the unemployment and Pensions (Jonathan Shaw): I would like to reiterate figures are calculated would not be affected by any your points about Ashok Kumar, Mr. Speaker. He will inaccuracies in the list of vacancies, because it looks be sadly missed, I am sure, among all colleagues right first at the claimant count and also at the labour force across the House. He was a good colleague and fine survey, which is very detailed. The hon. Gentleman is parliamentarian. right to say that in his own constituency the figure is The “work for your benefit” programme will provide 1,735. He will also be aware, however, that the 500,000 work experience placements, not jobs. These placements lower than expected figure for unemployment translates will be over and above the staffing requirements of the into an improvement of about 700 in the claimant host employer and in addition to the existing or expected count for every constituency right across the country. I vacancies. As such, we do not expect the programme to hope that that is something that he would welcome as a have an effect on the employment of existing workers, result of the investment that we have put in, which, whether low paid or otherwise. unfortunately, his party has opposed repeatedly over the past 18 months. As for what employment agencies John Mason: I thank the Minister for his answer. are doing, it is important that they act reputably and do Does he accept, however, that there is a danger that not operate in any way that is fraudulent when putting certain less scrupulous employers will take the opportunity forward vacancies, whatever their motive for doing so. 591 Oral Answers15 MARCH 2010 Oral Answers 592 Mrs. Theresa May (Maidenhead) (Con): First, may I jobs fund, as well as extra training and job opportunities. associate myself and my hon. Friends with the remarks That is part of a youth guarantee, which is that all that have been made about the untimely death of young people should be guaranteed a job, training or a Dr. Ashok Kumar? He was indeed widely respected work placement if they have been unemployed for more across this House, and of course our condolences go to than six months. his family and friends; our thoughts are with all of them today. Mr. Dunne: I thank the Secretary of State for that Official figures published today show that the UK answer, but does she recognise that 923,000 young people accounts for one in seven of Europe’s entire hidden aged between 16 and 24 are now unemployed? That is a jobless population. After 13 years of a Labour Government, 50 per cent. increase on the number in that age group why is that? unemployed when this Government came to power in 1997. Will she admit that the Government have got it Yvette Cooper: In fact, as the right hon. Lady will be terribly wrong for the youth unemployed? aware, unemployment in this country is significantly lower than in most of our major European competitors. Yvette Cooper: No, I think the Government are right In addition, we have seen a significant number of people to provide additional support for young people, through going into further education and full-time education. a youth guarantee that the hon. Gentleman’s party We are proud of the increase in the number of students opposes, and the future jobs fund, which it would that has taken place over the past few years. I am sorry abolish. He asked about the figures. In fact, if we that her party refused to support funding for the September exclude the number of full-time students from those guarantee, which has helped a lot more young people, in figures, there are 657,000 young people who are unemployed particular, to stay on in education and has helped to according to the definition of the International Labour reduce the number of people who are unemployed. Organisation, compared with 830,000 in the early ’90s and more than 1 million in the early ’80s. It was the hon. Mrs. May: But what the Secretary of State failed to Gentleman’s party that turned its back on the young address was the issue of the hidden jobless, which was unemployed and left a lost generation, whose scars we what my question was about. There are 2.3 million have seen for very many years. We are not prepared to people in this country who want to work but are not in do that, which is why we are investing in the youth work and are not counted in the unemployment figures. guarantee that his party opposes. In those figures, of course, one group for which unemployment has been rising in recent months has been those on incapacity benefit. The Government’s Mr. Vaizey: May I add my condolences to the family figures now show that they are going to miss their target and friends of Ashok Kumar? He and I became very of getting 1 million people off incapacity benefit by good friends, not least because he was the only Member 2015, not by 100,000 or 200,000 but by 700,000. Is it not of Parliament who had read my father’s seminal history the case that five more years of this Labour Government of British Steel. will leave 700,000 people needlessly written off to a life How can the Secretary of State say that the Government on benefits? have done enough on youth unemployment when one in five young people still cannot find a job, the young Yvette Cooper: We should look at the facts.