§ Mr. Mike Thomas (Newcastle upon Tyne, East)I beg to ask leave to move the Adjournment of the House, under Standing Order No. 9, for the purpose of discussing a specific and important matter that should have urgent consideration, namely,
the severe financial penalties about to be imposed by the Government upon thousands of Easter school leavers who become 16 by midnight tonight and will find that they are no longer entitled to draw supplementary benefit unless they undertake that they will not seek examination qualifications in June.The matter is specific, in that a substantial number of young people—some tens of thousands each year—will suffer as a result of this provision. They are young people who leave school at Easter and who are 16 by 31 January. Moreover, they may intend to take CSEs or other examinations in June.The matter is important, because it is crucial that the Government do not discourage young people from seeking qualifications. It is ridiculous that Easter school leavers should be being asked by social security offices to give the extraordinary undertaking that they will not take examinations in June. If they do not give such an undertaking, they will be denied supplementary benefit until September, irrespective of whether they take those examinations.
The matter is urgent because, as things stand, if the Government do not do something, thousands of kids will suffer, and they will start to suffer soon.
It is extremely difficult to understand the Government's motivation. The young people concerned will effectively be under financial pressure to leave school and not to take qualifications. As a side effect—this is a new issue—if they can afford to withstand that financial pressure, they will be kept out of the unemployment statistics until September as they will not claim benefit. It is another unemployment figures fiddle. I am seeking leave to move the Adjournment of the House so that the Government can 26 make a statement tommorrow to the effect that they intend to put this grave injustice right. [Interruption.] I am sorry to see from the noise behind me that I do not have the support of Labour Members on this important subject.
§ Mr. SpeakerThe hon. Member for Newcastle, upon Tyne, East (Mr. Thomas) gave me notice before 12 noon today that he would seek leave to move the Adjournment of the House for the purpose of discussing a specific and important matter that he thinks should have urgent consideration, namely,
the severe financial penalties about to be imposed by the Government upon thousands of Easter school leavers who become 16 by midnight tonight and will find that they are no longer entitled to draw supplementary benefit unless they undertake that they will not seek examination qualifications in June.
§ Mr. Dennis Skinner (Bolsover)On a point of order, Mr. Speaker.
§ Mr. SpeakerOrder. I must give my ruling first. As the House knows, the same consideration applies to this application as to the others. I do not decide whether the House should discuss these matters; I merely decide whether they are of such a nature that we must change our business and have an emergency debate tonight or tomorrow. I listened carefully to what the hon. Gentleman had to say, but I must rule that his submission does not fall within the provisions of the Standing Order. Therefore, I cannot submit his application to the House.
§ Mr. SkinnerOn a point of order, Mr. Speaker. In his latter words, the hon. Member for Newcastle upon Tyne, East (Mr. Thomas) made something of the fact that Labour Members did not support the idea.
§ Mr. Mike ThomasThis is not a point of order.
§ Mr. SkinnerI should like to draw your attention, Mr. Speaker, to the fact that the subject has been before the House and that on at least one occassion many members of the Social Democratic party were not present because their average attendance—[Interruption.]
§ Mr. SpeakerOrder. Justice has been done.