Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Helping Young People into Work: Covid-19

Tuesday 7 September 2021 · 7 questions

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 1 Partly answered 5 Not answered 0

Key points

  • Our plan for jobs includes the youth offer, providing 13 weeks of tailored support and 140 dedicated youth hubs across the country.
  • Kickstart provides Government-funded jobs for young people at risk of long-term unemployment, with 50,000 kickstarters already having started.
  • The Government has helped support hospitality jobs with VAT cuts, business rates reductions, and employer national insurance exemptions on young people under 21.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Karl McCartney Con
Economy Employment Benefits & Welfare
Context

The MP inquired about steps to help young people enter the workforce during economic recovery from the pandemic.

Question

What fiscal steps are being taken to assist young individuals entering the job market as part of the economic recovery plan post-covid-19?

Answer from Rishi Sunak

Our plan for jobs includes a range of initiatives, such as the youth offer rolled out by jobcentres providing 13 weeks of tailored support and 140 dedicated youth hubs across the country.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Did not specify exact fiscal steps or amounts, only mentioned initiatives

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Q2 James Daly
Employment
Context

The MP inquired about the impact of kickstart and other schemes on youth employment.

Question

Could you update the House specifically on how initiatives such as kickstart are aiding young people with employment and training opportunities throughout the country?

Answer from Rishi Sunak

Kickstart is a signature initiative providing Government-funded jobs for young people at risk of long-term unemployment, with 50,000 kickstarters already having started.

Answered
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Q3 Karl McCartney Con
Economy Employment Business & Trade
Context

The MP highlighted the impact of lockdowns on young people in the hospitality sector.

Question

In a city like Lincoln with a vibrant hospitality sector, successive lockdowns have hit my constituents hard, especially young people. Does the Chancellor agree that we must do everything possible to keep the economy open and focus on creating well-paid jobs for them?

Answer from Rishi Sunak

We have helped support hospitality jobs with VAT cuts, business rates reductions and employer national insurance exemptions on young people under 21.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Did not directly address the question of keeping the economy open to create jobs for youth in hospitality.

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Q4 Barry Sheerman Lab
Education Economy Taxation
Context

The MP proposed a windfall profit tax on financial institutions to fund green apprenticeships and training.

Question

When will this Administration introduce a windfall profit tax on banks that have profited from the pandemic, to invest in green apprenticeships and skills?

Answer from Rishi Sunak

Recently discussed new apprenticeships in financial services growing in Glasgow. This Government has put more money behind apprenticeships than any previous Government.

Not addressed: Did not address the windfall tax proposal, instead discussing existing initiatives.

How: Changed Subject

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Q5 Emma Hardy Lab Kingston upon Hull West and Haltemprice
Education Economy
Context

The MP questioned the impact of adult skills budget cuts on young people's ability to obtain level 3 qualifications.

Question

With the Chancellor cutting the adult skills budget by half since 2010, how can young people achieve higher education and earnings potential when they are encouraged not to go straight into work?

Answer from Rishi Sunak

The lifetime skills guarantee will enable 10 million adults without a level 3 qualification to obtain one, fully funded by this Government.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Did not address the budget cuts' impact or alternative funding sources.

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Q6 Matthew Hancock Con
Economy Foreign Affairs
Context

The MP praised the Chancellor's efforts on job creation and asked for global commitment to similar progress.

Question

Will you commit to working globally to ensure that the economic recovery and opportunities available in the UK are also accessible worldwide?

Answer from Rishi Sunak

We are tripling traineeships and benefitting from a fast vaccine roll-out, leading to one of the fastest economic recoveries globally.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Did not commit specifically to global efforts, only highlighted domestic success.

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Q7 David Linden SNP
Employment Standards & Ethics
Context

The MP questioned the lack of disability-related breakdowns in kickstart scheme statistics.

Question

The Government announced the kickstart scheme. However, why do they not publish the statistics by disability? Will the Chancellor rectify this?

Answer from Rishi Sunak

We are always open to improving our statistics' transparency. In aggregate, kickstart is delivering more young people into private sector jobs than previous schemes.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Did not commit to specific changes in disability-related stats.

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