Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Youth Mobility: European Commission Scheme

Wednesday 1 May 2024 · 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 0 Partly answered 2 Not answered 0

Key points

  • Alyn Smith expressed disappointment over Brexit's impact on youth mobility in Scotland, citing the EU's offer of a youth mobility scheme up to age 30.
  • The Minister responded that the UK Government operates 13 bilateral youth mobility schemes with various countries, emphasizing opportunities for young people to travel and work internationally.
  • Richard Thomson criticized the Minister's responses, stating that young people in Scotland are not benefiting from Brexit, while the Minister blamed the SNP Government for hindering opportunities for Scottish youth.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Alyn Smith
Brexit
Context

The EU offered a comprehensive youth mobility scheme up to the age of 30 for four years, which Scotland wants to participate in. The questioner criticises Brexit and its impact on future opportunities.

Question

I am bemused by that answer. I will never shake my view that Brexit was an act of gross harm against the next generation, particularly in Scotland, where we rejected it. But we are where we are, and the EU has offered the UK a comprehensive youth mobility scheme up to the age of 30 for four years. That strikes me as a fantastic deal. Scotland wants to do it, so why is the Minister so keen to hold Scotland back? But my actual question is: is he as delighted as I think he must be that the Labour party completely agrees with him?

Answer from John Lamont

The hon. Member and the SNP continue to obsess about Brexit and the decision of the United Kingdom to leave the European Union. This Government are absolutely committed to offering young people opportunities to travel around the world during their education, as demonstrated through our association with the Horizon scheme and through the Government's Turing scheme.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The Minister did not address why Scotland cannot participate in the EU youth mobility scheme directly or confirm Labour's stance on this issue.

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Q2 Anne McLaughlin SNP
Immigration Scotland
Context

The EU's youth mobility scheme would allow young people in Glasgow North East and Scotland to participate in various activities across Europe, but the Minister has expressed opposition.

Question

The youth mobility scheme would allow young people in my constituency of Glasgow North East and across Scotland to participate in youth exchanges, work, study and travel across Europe. The Minister got to do that. Is his message to my constituents that this freedom was for the likes of him, but not for the likes of them?

Answer from John Lamont

The UK Government currently operate 13 successful bilateral youth mobility schemes with international parties. The countries with which we already have arrangements include Andorra, Australia, Canada, Hong Kong, Iceland, India, Japan, Monaco, New Zealand, San Marino, South Korea, Taiwan and Uruguay.

Not addressed: The Minister did not address the question about whether young people now cannot benefit from similar opportunities as before Brexit.

How: Changed Subject

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Q3 Richard Thomson
Scotland Brexit
Context

In March 2021, the hon. Member for West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine criticised that young people were not reaping the benefits of Brexit. The questioner agrees with this statement.

Question

Anyone in Scotland watching this will be incredibly disappointed with the responses that we have had from the Minister to date. In March 2021, the hon. Member for West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine (Andrew Bowie) said on BBC Scotland that young people were not reaping the benefits of Brexit. I do not often agree with my constituency neighbour in the south, but he was absolutely right then and he is still absolutely right now, is he not?

Answer from John Lamont

The biggest obstacle to opportunities for young people in Scotland is the SNP Government. By restricting the number of places for Scottish students at Scottish universities so heavily, the Scottish Government seem intent on driving young people out of our country.

Not addressed: The Minister did not confirm or deny Andrew Bowie's statement about young people not benefiting from Brexit.

How: Changed Subject

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Q4 Kevin Foster Con
Immigration Brexit
Context

The questioner has experience with running youth mobility schemes under the former Prime Minister Boris Johnson. He asks about maintaining previous policies.

Question

Having been involved in running a number of our youth mobility schemes, I am fairly familiar with the concepts that they involve, such as capped numbers; reciprocity—the idea that we do not have a large flow one way without it happening the other way; limited terms; no access to the welfare system; and the fact that people cannot take dependants with them given their temporary status. Will the Minister assure me that we will maintain the position that we had under the former Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, that we will do this where it is in the UK's economic interest and where we know that the main drivers of issues such as immigration abuse do not exist? That is why we have the schemes that we do with Australia, Canada and New Zealand, and why we should maintain that open approach.

Answer from John Lamont

I pay tribute to my hon. Friend for his work in this area and his continued interest in it. The Government have made it absolutely clear that we have no plans to agree an EU-wide youth mobility scheme for the reason that he has highlighted, but we are open to negotiating with individual member states individual arrangements that suit the United Kingdom and Scotland.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The Minister did not provide assurance about maintaining the position under Boris Johnson.

How: Changed Subject

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