§ 20. Mr. MackinlayTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if he will make a statement on his proposals to increase training and employment opportunities for young people. [8616]
§ Mr. Andrew SmithThrough the new deal and Target 2000 we shall increase, and put into the mainstream, opportunities for young people to prepare and equip themselves for the world of work, so that they are empowered to play a full and productive part in society.
§ Mr. MackinlayDoes the Minister accept that thousands of young people are languished on the dole queue with no opportunities for training or developing skills during the years of Conservative government, and who are looking to the new Government to give them early, fairly immediate opportunities to improve their quality of life and increase their talents and skills, both for their own sake and for that of their families and of this country? What can he suggest to the House to give those people some immediate hope, some aspirations for the coming 12 months?
§ Mr. SmithThe new deal that we have proposed offers the quality options of work, primarily with private sector employers, or on the environmental task force or in the 1043 voluntary sector and, for those who lack basic skills, the opportunity of full-time education and training for up to 12 months. That is in addition to the measures set out by the Chancellor for sustainable growth in the economy, to enable us to repair the social damage and the wasted lives to which my hon. Friend rightly referred.