Oral Answers to Questions Debate

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Department: HM Treasury

Oral Answers to Questions

George Freeman Excerpts
Tuesday 10th September 2013

(10 years, 8 months ago)

Commons Chamber
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Sajid Javid Portrait Sajid Javid
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The hon. Lady knows all about unemployment, because she is probably thinking about the record rise in unemployment that took place in her constituency during the last term of the Labour Government. That record rise included men and women. In all categories it has fallen under this Government, and today more people, including more women, are employed in Britain than at any time in our history.

George Freeman Portrait George Freeman (Mid Norfolk) (Con)
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Does my hon. Friend agree that the single most important contribution to household earnings is having a job? Has he seen the latest data that show that the claimant count is now lower than in May 2010, that there are 500,000 vacancies, and that five jobs are being created in the private sector for every one lost in the public sector, leading the ManpowerGroup to say that this is a “game-changing year” for the UK jobs market? Is it not the truth that plan A is working and plan B is redundant?

Sajid Javid Portrait Sajid Javid
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As always, my hon. Friend speaks the truth very eloquently. The economy is growing. Of course there is a lot more work to do, but there is plenty of evidence that we have turned a corner.