§ 19. Mr. MacShaneWhat proposals he has to extend the new deal programme to men over 40 years of age. [29897]
§ Mr. Andrew SmithNew deal provision for adults, including men over 40, who have been unemployed for two years or more will start this June. We are also considering piloting the extension of the new deal approach to cover those who have been unemployed for shorter durations.
§ Mr. MacShaneI welcome my right hon. Friend's reply. Is he aware that, in Rotherham, some 50,000 men lost their jobs under the Tories? The equivalent of five army divisions were destroyed by Conservative economic policies. Those men, many of whom are now too old to get work but too young to die, are the legacy of those wasted Tory years. Does my right hon. Friend agree that, excellent as the new deal is for young workers, we should not forget our obligation to men over the age of 40 as our policy develops?
§ Mr. SmithWe certainly shall not forget them, I am pleased to reassure my hon. Friend. That is why, in June, we shall extend the benefits of the new deal to the longer-term older unemployed, and why we are considering how to extend to them the support that the gateway provides, as well as the advisory support that is available and the subsidised employment opportunities. If that can be delivered with the innovation, energy and dedication evident in partnerships such as that which has been pursued in Rotherham, the older unemployed will have hope for the future.