Oral Answers to Questions

Jon Pearce Excerpts

Thursday 5th June 2025 Commons Chamber

[Wera Hobhouse (Bath) (LD)]

12. What steps he is taking to improve relations with the EU.

[Jon Pearce (High Peak) (Lab)]

13. What steps he is taking to improve relations with the EU.

[Sojan Joseph (Ashford) (Lab)]

21. What steps he is taking to improve relations with the EU.

--- Later in debate ---

[Nick Thomas-Symonds]

Certainly, there will be great opportunities for young people, both in the youth experience scheme and in associating with Erasmus+. I too welcome the cross-party consensus—even the shadow Minister, the hon. Member for Kingswinford and South Staffordshire (Mike Wood), backed the youth experience scheme in the debate a couple of weeks ago.

[Jon Pearce]

Today is starting to feel like a bit of a love-in. Last week, I met a group of constituents who presented me with a petition that demands better access for young people to learn and work in the EU. I have heard the Minister’s responses to the last questions, but will he reassure those young people in my constituency that there will be opportunities for them to learn and work in the EU in the very near future?

[Nick Thomas-Symonds]

We will see how long the love-in will last. None the less, the deal provides great opportunities for young people. As I indicated a moment or two ago, we will work towards establishing a balanced youth experience scheme that is time-limited, capped and subject to visa controls, like the 13 we already have with different countries around the world.