Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Youth Employment 2026-07-02

Thursday 2 July 2026 · 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

  • UK Government investing 2.5 billion over three years to tackle youth unemployment
  • New initiatives include establishing 19 technical excellence colleges for high-quality training
  • Government created a fund to support SMEs and young people starting businesses

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 John Cooper Con Dumfries and Galloway
Employment
Context

The MP is concerned about job creation for young people, a critical issue in his constituency.

Question

What steps he is taking with Cabinet colleagues to support the creation of jobs for young people.

Answer from Peter Kyle

We are investing £2.5 billion over the next three years in tackling the issues around youth unemployment. That will include new initiatives, such as a further 19 technical excellence colleges to provide high-quality training for jobs in key sectors.

Answered
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Q2 Gagan Mohindra Con South West Hertfordshire
Employment Benefits & Welfare
Context

The MP has met a charity called Mission Employable which offers supported internships to young people with special educational needs. The charity highlighted the low employment rate of adults with learning disabilities in England.

Question

Will the Secretary of State outline how he is working with other Departments to ensure that the youth jobs grant does not disincentive employers in hiring people from supported internship backgrounds who are not claiming universal credit?

Answer from Peter Kyle

The hon. Gentleman raises an incredibly important issue. We want to support that work. Apprenticeship starts had fallen by 40% in the years running up to coming into office, but we are reinvesting and ensuring they are available to everyone with every ability.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Specific measures to ensure youth jobs grant does not disincentive hiring people from supported internship backgrounds were not addressed.

How: Under Review

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Q3 John Cooper Con Dumfries and Galloway
Education Employment Culture, Media & Sport
Context

The MP reflects on his own experience in the creative industry during school days.

Question

While still at school, I played my part in the creative industries by playing in bands with names as louche as Street Lethal and Cheap Sweeties. It was very lucrative.

Answer from Peter Kyle

Not only are we investing £2.5 billion but we are working across Departments to ensure that 400,000 students in disadvantaged schools will take up AI and tech skills through the tech first programme. Extending hours for 13-year-olds is not a serious solution.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Specific support for creative industries or similar sectors was not addressed.

How: Generic Answer

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Q4 Callum Anderson Lab Buckingham and Bletchley
Employment Business & Trade
Context

The MP met small business owners who expressed concerns about the up-front costs of training and supervision when considering hiring young people.

Question

Will the Secretary of State update the House on what support the Government are providing to incentivise small and microbusinesses in helping to give opportunities to young people?

Answer from Peter Kyle

We have created a specific fund to support SMEs and young people to start up businesses, incredibly important that people from all backgrounds get to explore their entrepreneurial talents.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Specific details about the funds or incentives for reducing costs were not provided.

How: Generic Answer

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