Poverty (Hansard, 6 March 1989)

§ 10. Mr. Wareing
To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what steps he is taking to eliminate poverty amongst young people.

§ Mr. Scott
The Government believe that the best way to improve living standards for all groups is to manage the economy successfully, and, for young people, to provide necessary employment and training opportunities. This we have done.

§ Mr. Wareing
That utterly complacent answer is absolutely deplorable, and the Minister should recognise that a young person who is lucky enough to be on a YTS scheme has to pay 35 per cent. of his rates—sorry, 35 per cent. of his rents—20 per cent. of his rates and all of his water rates, and for all the costs of his heating. Many young people are destitute. Does the Minister accept that the Fowler reforms are not a great and radical reform but a charter for destitution? It is time that the Minister tried to live, as Matthew Parris once did, on the benefits that he is recommending for young people.

§ Mr. Scott
I reject the hon. Gentleman's allegation. He got into a terrible mess over his figures, and even when he got them, what he thought he had bore little resemblance 592 to reality. The Government are increasing resources spent on support for social security, and increasing the targeting of it on those who need help most.

§ Mr. David Martin
How many young people benefit from family credit, and how does that compare with the number who used to benefit under family income supplement?

§ Mr. Scott
What is happening under family credit is that we are spending more money than we were profiled to spend. This is a successful benefit. We are about to embark on another advertising campaign to encourage greater take-up, and it would be in the interests of those involved if all hon. Members gave this benefit their full support.

§ Ms. Mowlam
It is not in order for the Minister to criticise the figures given by my hon. Friend the Member for Liverpool, West Derby (Mr. Wareing), when the Minister is unable to tell us the number of cases of young people who are no longer on income support because of training and education. If the Minister is so convinced that young people are not suffering under this arrangement, why is there no disregard for young people on YTS after April 1989?

§ Mr. Scott
We are studying carefully the representations that we have received to see whether we need to take steps beyond those that I outlined in a previous supplementary answer.