§ 7. Mr. McAllionWhat recent representations he has received relating to the Government's programme for welfare into work for 18 to 25-year-olds. [24185]
§ The Minister for Employment, Welfare to Work and Disability Rights (Mr. Andrew Smith)We continue to receive many supportive comments and suggestions, including from businesses, the voluntary sector, training providers and, most importantly, from young people, whose reaction to the introduction of the new deal in the pathfinder areas has been very positive.
§ Mr. McAllionAll the agencies that work with the young unemployed agree about the new deal's huge potential to make a real difference, but there is widespread criticism of the element of compulsion within the scheme. Does my right hon. Friend accept that, by insisting on compulsion, he is sending out a message that the new deal will be done to the unemployed rather than for the unemployed? Could he not put his faith in the genuine quality of the options being offered as a guarantee of the new deal's success? The tiny minority who say no to offers of genuine help need more help, not more compulsion.
§ Mr. SmithWe have had the answer, in that more than 3,000 gateway interviews have been conducted and we have not had to initiate sanctions in a single case. Moreover, more than 500 young people have volunteered to go on the new deal programme early. So far, all the evidence from the pathfinder interviews is that young people understand very well the difference that the new deal will make for them and for their prospects of employment.
§ Mr. Clifton-BrownHow does the Minister square his pre-election pledge of getting 250,000 young people off the unemployment register with the fact that only 122,000 people are currently on that register? If he accepts those figures, will he tell us why the Chancellor has allocated a disproportionately large amount of resources to getting young people off the unemployment register under the new deal? Younger people are more mobile, better educated and more able to get a job. It is the older, long-term unemployed who need the resources.
§ Mr. SmithI make no apology for the attention that this Government, unlike the Conservative Government, 491 have given to the particular needs of the young unemployed. Unemployment levels among young people are twice those in the rest of the work force. A terrible price is paid as a result of persistent unemployment among the young. It damages people's lives and the lives of their families, and leads to the corrosion of communities. The statistics show not only that 120,000 young people have been out of work for more than six months, but that 15,000 pass the six-month threshold every month.
§ Mr. KidneyWhat role does my right hon. Friend envisage for collaborative partnerships between employers and further education colleges in delivering the quality training that is such an important component of welfare to work?
§ Mr. SmithA very important role. The hallmark of the new deal is the provision of quality training in every option, so that young people gain the recognised qualifications that will not only get them into a job, but will help then to progress in employment. One of the most exciting and innovative aspects of the new deal is that colleges and other training providers will work in partnership with employers to open up opportunities to young people who have previously been denied them.