§ Mr. SawfordTo ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on the impact of his economic policies on levels of unemployment in the east midlands. [106893]
§ Mr. Andrew SmithIn the East Midlands region, as in the rest of the UK, we have created a sound platform of economic stability that will help us attain our objective of stable levels of growth and employment. Since the general election, employment in the East Midlands is up, unemployment is down, long-term unemployment is down by two-thirds and youth unemployment by three-quarters.