HC Deb 11 July 1995 vol 263 cc733-4
6. Mr. Flynn

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what new proposals she has for those who have been permanently employed who have recently become unemployed. [31787]

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Education and Employment (Mrs. Cheryl Gillan)

We shall continue to follow policies that have reduced unemployment by more than 660,000 since recovery began and enabled nearly 300,000 new jobs to be created in the past year.

Mr. Flynn

I warmly congratulate the hon. Lady on her promotion to new duties, which is richly deserved, since, on a memorable occasion, she drew the Prime Minister's attention to Rentokil, a company that he has used effectively to get rid of the entire Department of Employment. The employees and Ministers of that Department have alternative employment prospects, but, sadly, many people who lose their jobs in mid-life have no such alternative and their working life ends at 50. When a similar event happens to many Conservative Members, and they then go on the jobseeker's trail, will the hon. Lady tell me what answer she will give to the question on the jobseeker's agreement "What is the minimum wage you would be prepared to work for"? I am sure that she will give the same answer that she expects of all other people.

Mrs. Gillan

I thank the hon. Gentleman for his generous welcome, and might I add how pleased I am to see him in the Chamber today—he has decided not to work part-time after all. The hon. Gentleman has missed the point behind the merger of the Departments for Education and of Employment. That merger sends the clearest possible signal that education and training are at the top of the Government's agenda to improve the country's competitiveness. The merger will also offer a real focus to active labour market policies and build on the achievements of recent years in reducing unemployment.

Mr. Fabricant

May I also take this opportunity to congratulate my hon. Friend on getting to the Front Bench and say how nice it is to see someone with such a lovely blond hairstyle, which is so appropriate? There is hope for us all yet.

Does my hon. Friend agree that the question from the hon. Member for Newport, West (Mr. Flynn) and the earlier question about works councils demonstrate that the Labour party still believes that it is the Government, rather than markets and industries, that can create jobs? Is it not the case that we have the lowest corporation tax in Europe and that it is that which is securing inward investment and jobs?

Mrs. Gillan

I thank my hon. Friend for his generous welcome for my appearance at the Dispatch Box, and I agree with him absolutely. The prospects for the unemployed in the United Kingdom continue to improve and new vacancies continue to be notified to jobcentres—more than 200,000 a month. It is our policies which are helping to put people back to work.

Ms Eagle

Will the Minister give us some information on when we will next be allowed to ask questions about the unemployment rate, since this is the last Employment Question Time that we shall be allowed to have? Will she confirm when it was decided to abolish the Department of Employment? What is the expected rate of redundancy among civil servants at that former Department?

Mrs. Gillan

The hon. Lady is quite ungenerous in her remarks about the merger of the two Departments. In fact, I was reading just earlier this morning that that merger has been welcomed by the Confederation of British Industry, the Institute of Directors, the National Union of Teachers, the Secondary Heads Association and the National Association of Schoolmasters/Union of Women Teachers—just to name a few. The hon. Lady should re-examine what we doing in those two Departments and generously welcome the Government's brave policy, which will improve education and training right across the board.