Question to the Northern Ireland Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what recent progress the Government has made on reducing youth unemployment levels in Northern Ireland.

Youth unemployment in Northern Ireland has fallen by 1.1 percentage points over the year, from 20.0 per cent in February-April 2014, to 18.9 per cent in February-April 2015.

The Government has abolished employer National Insurance Contributions for under-21 year olds from April 2015 making it cheaper for businesses in Northern Ireland to employ young people.

As part of our long term economic plan, the Government is also reducing the largest structural deficit in UK peacetime history. This is essential to deliver a sustainable economic recovery to assist young people to get job opportunities in Northern Ireland.