Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Pat McFadden and Andrew Pakes

Monday 12th October 2026 Commons Chamber

[Andrew Pakes (Peterborough) (Lab/Co-op)]

1. What assessment he has made of the potential impact of the youth guarantee trailblazer areas on young people’s life prospects.

[The Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (Pat McFadden)]

It has been some time since we had one of these sessions, and there have been some political developments. We have a new Prime Minister in place. The shadow Secretary of State, the hon. Member for Faversham and Mid Kent (Helen Whately), has survived a reshuffle—I know what that feels like, so I welcome her back to her place—and of course, we have just welcomed my hon. Friend the Member for Holborn and St Pancras (Sagal Abdi-Wali), the new MP for her seat. I should say that if her opponent ever needs any help with employment security, we have a number of work experience and training programmes that I am happy to make available to him.

Turning to the question, youth guarantee trailblazers are a flexible, locally delivered way to help more young people into work. The early evidence is encouraging, showing more participation and getting young people work-ready. There will be a full evaluation next year. Delivering employment support more locally through mayors and local authorities is the direction of travel, and we will do more of this in the future.

[Andrew Pakes]

Too many young people in Peterborough are starting adult life without the skills, support or training they need to get on, so I am incredibly proud that Peterborough was chosen as one of the first pilots for the youth guarantee trailblazer. However, we do not just have high levels of people not in education, employment or training; according to our chambers of commerce, we have high levels of businesses unable to recruit the staff they need because of skills shortages. This highlights one of the big mismatches—that between young people who do not have the skills, and employers who cannot find people to train and support in developing those skills. What more can my right hon. Friend’s Department do to ensure that young people and businesses can find each other as we invest in apprenticeships?

[Pat McFadden]

I congratulate my hon. Friend on his tireless and constant campaigning on the issue of youth opportunity. He asks specifically about skills. From 1 August this year, we are fully funding apprenticeship training for all eligible under-25s. We have brought the National Careers Service into the Department for Work and Pensions, meaning that around 500 qualified careers advisers are now helping people of all ages to access careers support regardless of benefit status, and doing that skills matching that my hon. Friend spoke about so eloquently.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Pat McFadden and Andrew Pakes

Monday 29th June 2026 Commons Chamber

[Pat McFadden]

I believe that these youth hubs are applicable to every part of the United Kingdom. Well done to the organisation in Glengormley that the hon. Member mentioned. Of course, the Northern Ireland Executive has its own funding, too, and many matters are devolved. But wherever young people are in the United Kingdom, I want them to know that this is a Government that wants to see more opportunity and more work for them and a helping hand to get them on that first vital step on the career ladder, which is often a good first job.

[Andrew Pakes (Peterborough) (Lab/Co-op)]

6. What recent progress he has made on implementing the youth guarantee.

[The Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (Pat McFadden)]

As I said, earlier this spring we announced the expansion of youth hubs to all planned areas and the launch of phase one of the jobs guarantee for the long-term unemployed, first in six areas and later to the whole country. From today, we are rolling out expanded employment support for young people on universal credit to all jobcentres in Britain. As I mentioned, from tomorrow, we are opening the youth jobs grant, which will give employers a £3,000 hiring bonus to take on a young person who has been out of work for six months or more.

[Andrew Pakes]

The youth guarantee will play a crucial part in a city such as Peterborough where for too long, too many young people have been starting their adult life on benefits without the necessary skills. Just this month, the Minister for Social Security and Disability, my right hon. Friend the Member for East Ham (Sir Stephen Timms), cut the ribbon on the BRDG, a new partnership between Peterborough College, Inspire2Ignite and businesses to create more opportunities for young people, but we want to go further. Working with Inspire2Ignite, we are bringing together businesses, civic sector charities and others to launch the 3% club to cut the NEET level in Cambridgeshire to 3% and give young people the opportunities they need. Will my right hon. Friend explain how the Department can support frontline innovation and partnerships like that one? Will a Minister meet me with Inspire2Ignite and listen to the voices of young people as we turn this situation around?

[Pat McFadden]

I thank my hon. Friend for his commitment to expanding opportunity for young people in his constituency and to reducing the NEET youth rate. As he knows, I was pleased to open the Peterborough youth hub some months ago, and my Department is working with the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough strategic authority on the youth guarantee trailblazer. I congratulate Inspire2Ignite. I value positive feedback from the Minister’s visit to the BRDG site, and I will ensure that my hon. Friend gets a meeting with a Minister to discuss these issues further.

Youth Unemployment

Debate between Pat McFadden and Andrew Pakes

Tuesday 17th March 2026 Commons Chamber

[Pat McFadden]

The OBR predicts that unemployment will peak this year and then fall in every year of the forecast—[Interruption.] Conservative Members disparage the forecast, but I gently remind them that disparaging the OBR did not work out too well for them a few years ago. In fact—to make a more serious point—the country is still paying the price for the fact that they did so, so I suggest that they learn that lesson.

[Andrew Pakes (Peterborough) (Lab/Co-op)]

I thank my right hon. Friend for the care and consideration he has shown in putting this package together. I am delighted today to be joined in the House by some inspiring apprentices from Caterpillar in my constituency, who have been talking about their experiences of moving into work. This matters in Peterborough, because we have one of the highest levels of youth unemployment for a generation, and it needs tackling. Can my right hon. Friend assure me that the work we are doing will not just benefit large employers such as Caterpillar, but put in place opportunities in the supply chain for small and medium-sized enterprises, so the brilliance of the apprenticeships we have at Caterpillar is extended to more and more young people in Peterborough?

[Pat McFadden]

I thank my hon. Friend for his deep interest in this issue. I have visited his constituency, and I give a warm welcome to the apprentices from Peterborough who are in the Chamber today. He asked about supply chains and small and medium-sized businesses. Those businesses will benefit from the hiring bonus for a young apprentice, which is why the Federation of Small Businesses has welcomed this package, describing it as a “game changer” and a “decisive step forward”.