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Kickstart Scheme
03 September 2020
Lead MP
Jonathan Reynolds
Debate Type
General Debate
Tags
EconomyEmploymentNorthern IrelandBusiness & TradeBenefits & WelfareLocal Government
Other Contributors: 31
At a Glance
Jonathan Reynolds raised concerns about kickstart scheme in the House of Commons. A government minister responded. Other MPs also contributed.
How the Debate Unfolded
MPs spoke in turn to share their views and ask questions. Here's what each person said:
Lead Contributor
Opened the debate
The Labour MP urges the Government to introduce a scheme based on the successful future jobs fund to get young people into work, welcoming the kickstart scheme but seeking assurances that it will be delivered effectively. He outlines concerns about the timing of the launch, the scale and quality of job creation, support for small businesses, and the alignment with ongoing employment expectations.
Jonathan Reynolds
Lab Co-op
Stalybridge and Hyde
Welcomes the kickstart scheme but seeks assurances that it will be delivered effectively. Outlines concerns about timing, quality of jobs, support for small businesses, alignment with employment expectations.
Therese Coffey
10:36:00
Announces the launch of the kickstart scheme, a £2 billion programme to fund the direct creation of thousands of additional jobs for young people at risk of long-term unemployment. Explains the criteria and benefits for employers.
Andy Carter
10:36:00
Welcomes feedback from businesses in Warrington South eager to participate, confirms that 100% cost of wages, national insurance, and pension schemes are covered by the scheme.
Neil Grey
10:36:00
Welcomes the kickstart scheme but raises concerns about lack of collaboration with Scottish Government, minimum job requirement for small businesses, and payment of real living wage to participants.
Therese Coffey
Con
Explained that the scheme does not require employers to offer a minimum of 30 placements and clarified how small businesses can access the programme through intermediaries. Emphasised the importance of consistent delivery across Great Britain, including Scotland with its highest unemployment rate in the UK, while working closely with Northern Ireland.
Scott Benton
Con
Blackpool South
Welcomed the kickstart scheme as a great initiative to support employment and encouraged businesses in his constituency to sign up for it. Highlighted its potential impact on young people's lives in Blackpool.
Stephen Timms
Lab
East Ham
Opposed the closure of the future jobs fund in 2011 and welcomed the return of a similar scheme, praising it for offering young people valuable work experience. Asked about the involvement of charities and measures to ensure disabled young people can fully benefit from the scheme.
Jane Hunt
Con
Viewed the kickstart scheme as a mutually beneficial arrangement for both young people and businesses, stressing its help in securing work for young people and aiding businesses coming out of lockdown.
Rachel Hopkins
Lab
Luton South and South Bedfordshire
Asked about safeguards to ensure that disabled young people can benefit from the kickstart programme given their lower employment rate compared to non-disabled peers. Highlighted the need for support tailored to this demographic.
Andrea Jenkyns
Con
Welcomed the opportunity for young people to gain work experience but asked how kickstart will help secure long-term employment beyond the initial six-month placements. Emphasised the importance of sustained employment.
Nick Smith
Lab
Blaenau Gwent and Rhymney
Inquired about job creation numbers by the scheme, noting the need for long-term job security. Mentioned opportunities in growth sectors like digital security where employer demand is strong.
Jo Gideon
Con
Stoke-on-Trent Central
Welcomed the kickstart scheme as an opportunity for young people disproportionately affected by the pandemic to get a foot on the jobs ladder. Asked about the accessibility of information for both employers and young people.
Wendy Chamberlain
Lib Dem
North East Fife
Asked if it could be made easier for small businesses to apply directly, as intermediary bodies' information seems incomplete. Highlighted the eagerness of local businesses like Tayport Distillery.
Sarah Dines
Con
Derbyshire Dales
Thanked the Secretary of State and mentioned the excitement among large and small local businesses about participating in the scheme. Asked for additional support available to young people beyond kickstart, such as apprenticeships and traineeships.
Stephen Flynn
SNP
Aberdeen South
Paying some 17-year-olds £4.55 an hour for a three-day week for six months is welcome as far as it goes, but it is not going to avert the looming jobs crisis. The best way to avert that crisis is to extend the job retention scheme. Does the Secretary of State agree that that scheme should be extended, and if not, is this not less kickstart and more a kick in the teeth for millions of other workers living in the UK?
Welcomes the scheme to get young people into work but expresses concern about employers potentially using it to reduce hours of existing staff or failing to give hours to current employees on flexible contracts. He asks what safeguards are in place to prevent this.
Asks how the kickstart scheme will contribute specifically to a green recovery from covid-19, emphasising the need for investment in green jobs.
Welcomes the launch of the kickstart scheme and asks if business owners such as Hal Holmes-Pierce, who runs an independent shoe shop in Prestatyn, will be able to take part in the scheme.
Lilian Greenwood
Lab
Nottingham South
Highlights that young disabled people are far more likely to experience unemployment and asks for specific measures to ensure that those who most need support are targeted by the kickstart programme.
Endorses the initiative and asks how the Government intends to convince perennial doomsters about its full utility and longevity.
Stephen Doughty
Lab Co-op
Cardiff South and Penarth
Proposes dovetailing the scheme with existing Welsh Government schemes such as Jobs Growth Wales, apprenticeships, traineeships, and ReAct to ensure a full package for young people. He also suggests looking again at the 30-person limit to benefit SMEs more.
Supports the principle of helping young people into work but expresses disappointment that the scheme has been designed in a way that is convenient for the Department rather than small businesses. He urges officials to make it friendlier to small businesses.
Rachael Maskell
Lab Co-op
York Central
Highlights that charities and social enterprises delivered over 60% of placements under the Future Jobs Fund but can only take on one or two young people due to capacity. She urges the Secretary of State to meet sector leaders to ensure every job is found.
Shabana Mahmood
Lab
Birmingham Ladywood
Asks for reassurances that measures will be taken to ensure equality of access and opportunity under the scheme for young people from black, Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds.
Dan Jarvis
Lab
Barnsley North
The UK is one of the most regionally unequal countries in the developed world, especially when it comes to employment. He asked how the kickstart scheme fits with the Government's levelling-up agenda and requested guarantees that communities such as those in South Yorkshire will receive additional support.
Kieran Mullan
Con
Bexhill and Battle
He highlighted the importance of providing opportunities for young people to get their foot in the door. He mentioned discussions with his local chamber of commerce and businesses in Crewe and Nantwich, asking how small businesses can participate in the scheme.
She questioned the success rate of the future jobs fund, seeking details on improvements made to the kickstart scheme for better outcomes.
He raised concerns about the lack of applicability of the scheme in Northern Ireland and asked if her officials would help develop a local response under devolution.
Martin Vickers
Con
Brigg and Immingham
Concerned about the need for close links between jobcentres and further education colleges to encourage young people into the scheme, especially due to restrictions on usual programme activities such as job fairs.
Noting rapid business growth in Midlothian, he questioned why small businesses are facing bureaucratic blocks when trying to access funding for the kickstart scheme.
She expressed enthusiasm from tourism businesses in north Devon about participating but asked how smaller businesses in rural areas can participate with limited intermediaries available.
Government Response
EconomyEmploymentNorthern IrelandBusiness & TradeBenefits & WelfareLocal Government
Government Response
Confirms the details of the kickstart scheme, including funding and criteria. Addresses concerns about timing, small business participation, and alignment with employment expectations. Provided details on how small businesses can participate through intermediaries. Emphasised consistency in delivery across Great Britain, including Northern Ireland. Welcomed support for young people and businesses, highlighting the availability of apprenticeships and traineeships. Responds to various queries regarding the kickstart scheme's aims, safeguards against displacing existing roles, targeting disabled and disadvantaged groups, engagement with small businesses, charity organisations, and inclusivity for ethnic minority backgrounds. The Secretary of State emphasised the Government's commitment to youth employment, discussed plans to remove barriers from previous schemes, mentioned virtual job fairs, advised on direct communication with local jobcentres or email expressions of interest, and detailed opportunities for potential umbrella organisations and local enterprise partnerships involvement.
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Assessment & feedback
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