Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Employment: Adur and Worthing

Monday 19 June 2023 · 4 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 3 Not answered 0

Key points

  • Tim Loughton inquired about steps to help fill vacancies and increase employment in Adur and Worthing, receiving a response highlighting Jobcentre Plus initiatives.
  • The Secretary of State mentioned the expansion of the mid-life MOT and returnerships for older workers in response to concerns about the higher age profile in Adur and Worthing.
  • Jim Shannon suggested enhancing workplace steps to increase employment, noting that actions for Adur and Worthing would apply across the United Kingdom, and was thanked for his input.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Tim Loughton Con
Employment
Context

The question pertains to addressing employment issues in the constituency of Adur and Worthing, where there are job vacancies.

Question

What steps his Department is taking to help fill vacancies and increase employment in Adur and Worthing. I commend my hon. Friend for the extensive work that he does to promote skills and employment to his constituents. In his constituency, we of course have the full offer from Jobcentre Plus, with fairs, recruitment days and an extensive skills offering, to make sure that we keep bearing down on unemployment and economic inactivity.

Answer from Mel Stride

I commend my hon. Friend for the extensive work that he does to promote skills and employment to his constituents. In his constituency, we of course have the full offer from Jobcentre Plus, with fairs, recruitment days and an extensive skills offering, to make sure that we keep bearing down on unemployment and economic inactivity.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Specific steps or commitments were not provided regarding how vacancies will be filled.

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Q2 Tim Loughton Con
Employment
Context

The age profile in Adur and Worthing is higher than the national average, prompting questions about employment opportunities for older workers.

Question

Mr Speaker, you may be aware that the age profile in Adur and Worthing in my constituency is slightly higher than the national demographic, so I was particularly pleased by the Secretary of State's expansion of the mid-life MOT—although perhaps it is slightly too late for him and me, in our seventh decade. Given the higher reliability, productivity and loyalty of older workers, what more is he doing to keep older employees in work or to tempt back those who may have taken early retirement?

Answer from Mel Stride

I have to say that I am surprised that there are so many elderly—an exemplar of the spring chicken brigade as my hon. Friend is—but he raises a very important point. There is the mid-life MOT, but we also provide returnerships—a shortened, accelerated version of apprenticeships for older workers—and of course the Chancellor announced important changes to the tax treatment of pensions to keep some older workers, particularly in the NHS and our medical services, in work.

Answered
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Q3 Jim Shannon DUP Strangford
Employment
Context

Suggestions for enhancing employment through community group work placements are raised, aiming to help jobseekers gain confidence and potentially secure further employment.

Question

Whatever the Secretary of State does in relation to Adur and Worthing will happen across the great United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. With that in mind, let me try to make a helpful suggestion for increasing employment. Has consideration been given to enhancing steps to work placements, whereby jobseekers help out in registered community groups, with community workers, to increase their confidence? Community groups do great work, and they can be a step to further employment.

Answer from Mel Stride

My hon. Friend the Minister for Employment recently visited the hon. Gentleman's constituency to look into those matters and reported back very favourably. I am grateful to the hon. Gentleman for raising that important point.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Specific actions or commitments regarding enhancing community group work placements were not provided.

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Q4 Peter Bottomley Con
Employment Business & Trade
Context

The question addresses the importance of enterprise in employment initiatives, emphasizing public-private partnerships as key to success.

Question

While my hon. Friend the Member for East Worthing and Shoreham (Tim Loughton) and I have represented Worthing and district, we have survived the equivalent of eight coalmines closing in the town. Flexibility matters. Let us remember, looking back at the youth opportunities programme and the employer assistance scheme, that it is enterprise that makes the biggest difference. Will my right hon. Friend emphasise that? In tribute to Lord Young of Graffham, let us make sure that we combine individual enterprise and public enterprise with private partnerships.

Answer from Mel Stride

My hon. Friend the Father of the House is absolutely right. It is really important that we operate with all those relationships across the private and public sectors. Jobcentres up and down the country are heavily engaged with employers at all levels, and not just the large ones but the small and medium-sized enterprises that are so important.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Specific measures or commitments to enhance enterprise and partnerships were not provided.

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