Oral Answers to Questions

Nic Dakin Excerpts

Wednesday 4th May 2011 Commons Chamber

[Mr Brian H. Donohoe (Central Ayrshire) (Lab)]

5. By what date he expects the level of unemployment in Scotland to begin to reduce.

[Nic Dakin (Scunthorpe) (Lab)]

6. What steps he is taking to reduce the level of unemployment in Scotland.

--- Later in debate ---

[Michael Moore]

It would be an absolute disaster for Scotland to separate from the rest of the United Kingdom. It is interesting that even the Scottish National party appears to recognise that, because it is not campaigning very hard on the subject.

[Nic Dakin]

In the Secretary of State’s answer to my hon. Friend the Member for Glasgow North (Ann McKechin), our Front-Bench spokesperson, he recognised that youth unemployment continues to rise in Scotland. When does he believe that his actions will begin to bring it down to an acceptable level?

[Michael Moore]

In response to the question from the hon. Member for Glasgow North (Ann McKechin), I said that youth unemployment had been a problem for a good long period across the United Kingdom, including under the previous Government during periods of growth. The Prime Minister, the Work and Pensions Secretary, I and everybody else recognise the need to bring it down, which is why we are meeting to discuss the core issues behind the problem, and why, through the Get Britain Working programme and the Work programme, which we have discussed already, we are introducing measures to get young and old alike off the unemployment register and back into productive work.