Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Unemployed Young People 2026-06-29

Monday 29 June 2026 · 5 questions

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

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 2 Partly answered 2 Not answered 0

Key points

  • More than 1 million young people are currently not in education, employment or training.
  • Youth employment in the UK has not reached its pre-financial crash level since the crash occurred.
  • The government is capping single bus fares at 3 on thousands of routes in England outside London until March 2027.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Steffan Aquarone Lib Dem North Norfolk
Employment
Context

More than 1 million young people are currently not in education, employment or training. Youth employment in the UK has not reached its pre-financial crash level in any year since.

Question

I am concerned that youth employment in the UK has not reached its pre-financial crash level and there has been a sharp rise in recent years in the number of young people not in education, employment or training. What estimate has he made of the number of unemployed young people?

Answer from Pat McFadden

More than 1 million young people are currently not in education, employment or training. Youth employment in the UK has not reached its pre-financial crash level in any year since, and there has been a sharp rise in recent years in the number of young people not in education, employment or training. That is why we are investing an additional £2.5 billion over the next three years into the youth guarantee and the growth and skills levy.

Answered
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Q2 Steffan Aquarone Lib Dem North Norfolk
Employment Transport Agriculture & Rural Affairs
Context

The Transport Committee's “Buses connecting communities” inquiry heard about the significant impact that public transport connectivity has on unemployment, especially for young people in North Norfolk.

Question

The Transport Committee's “Buses connecting communities” inquiry heard about the significant impact that public transport connectivity has on unemployment. That is especially the case for young people in North Norfolk. It is a vicious cycle: poor connectivity creates poor prospects, and young people leave to start their careers elsewhere. How will the Secretary of State work with his colleagues across Government to make sure that young people in rural communities do not face extra barriers to unemployment compared with their urban peers, and will he commit to making sure that rural young people have a fair opportunity to thrive?

Answer from Pat McFadden

The hon. Member raises an important issue. Whenever I discuss youth unemployment and opportunity with MPs, they often identify transport links as a barrier. We are capping single bus fares at £3 on thousands of routes in England outside London until March 2027, but I believe that there is more that we can and should do, because he is right that connectivity is really important and is linked to opportunity.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Commitment to additional actions beyond bus fare caps was not specified

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Q3 Marsha de Cordova Lab Battersea
Employment Benefits & Welfare
Context

Some constituents are having to take multiple buses to get to a Jobcentre Plus office, as Battersea does not have its own office like the neighbouring constituency.

Question

I recently visited a Jobcentre Plus office to meet the team and see some of the fantastic work they are doing to get our young people into work, but what struck me was that I had to visit a neighbouring constituency, because Battersea does not have its own office like that. Some of my constituents are having to take not one or two but three buses to get to that jobcentre when there is a perfectly good jobcentre in Wandsworth. What steps is my right hon. Friend taking to ensure that we remove all barriers so that transport and travel is not a challenge for our young people in getting into work?

Answer from Pat McFadden

I thank my hon. Friend not only for her question but for the wonderful work she has done and the advice she has given me on closing the disability employment gap and championing the rights of partially sighted people. She asks about access, which is important. Alongside our jobcentre network, we have mobile jobcentre vans, and over the next few years we will be opening 360 youth hubs to get services to where young people are in the local community.

Answered
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Q4 Peter Bedford Con Mid Leicestershire
Economy Employment
Context

Over 700,000 young people are now out of work. The figure is up by 100,000 year on year, and the youth unemployment rate is now at over 16%.

Question

Over 700,000 young people are now out of work. That figure is up 100,000 year on year, and the youth unemployment rate is now at over 16%. As this is likely to be the ministerial team's final question time, will the Secretary of State reflect on the damage that the Employment Rights Act 2025 and national insurance increases have had on youth unemployment? Behind all those figures are stories of young people not earning or learning. They do not need yet more billion-pound Government schemes. They need a growing economy with businesses that want to hire them. Will the next Government finally deliver that?

Answer from Pat McFadden

We have the second-fastest growing economy in the G7, we have 400,000 more people in work than we did last year and the number of young people in employment is up by 74,000 since the election. In the whole 14 years in which the hon. Member's party was in power, it went up by only 1,000.

Not addressed: Impact of Employment Rights Act and national insurance on youth unemployment

How: Discussing Economic Growth Instead

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Q5 Steve Darling Lib Dem Torbay
NHS Employment Benefits & Welfare
Context

Almost 5,500 jobs could be moved or are at risk of redundancy across the United Kingdom. In Torquay, there are 130 jobs at Cotswold House with no prospect of being moved to another DWP location.

Question

In deprived coastal communities such as Torbay, the NHS and the Department for Work and Pensions can make up a significant part of the job offer, including entry-level jobs for young people. It was therefore disturbing to hear last week that almost 5,500 jobs could be moved or be at risk of redundancy across the United Kingdom. In Torquay, there are 130 jobs at Cotswold House with no prospect of being moved to another DWP location. Will the Secretary of State meet me to discuss those office closures and how young people can be helped into employment through employment with the DWP?

Answer from Pat McFadden

I appreciate that the DWP plays a role as a local employer, but it is important that we deliver our service as efficiently as possible on behalf of the taxpayer and that we get the maximum value for money for that. With regard to the hon. Member's request, there has been an offer of a meeting with a Minister from the Department; I hope that he will take that up.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Commitment to meet was acknowledged but not explicitly confirmed

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