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Budget Resolutions and Economic Situation

The hon. Gentleman is referring to the International Labour Organisation youth unemployment survey, and, in fact, its figures include significant numbers of full-time students who are also looking for work. We believe that youth unemployment is a serious issue, which is why we have set out proposals to help young people get back into work, but the hon. Gentleman's party refused to fund and support those proposals, so they refused to help any of these young people get back into jobs. The Conservative party has not changed. Once again it wanted to turn its back, but this Labour Government would not turn our back. We know that unemployment is never a price worth paying, and we will not stop the help now because we know we are not yet out of the woods. It is important to support the recovery, and not to put it at risk. In the '80s and '90s, unemployment rose for years after the recession finished. We are not prepared to let that happen. That is why this Budget is a Budget for growth, for jobs and for recovery, with more help for the unemployed to get back to work, such as by extending the future jobs fund and the youth guarantee. Those measures are helping thousands of young people into jobs, including 170,000 mainly youth jobs through the future jobs fund, which the Conservative party wants to abolish. I have met some of the many young people across this country who are now beginning their jobs and getting some great career starts: a young man who has started work in theatre lighting in Wakefield; a young woman in Bedford who is working in a sports charity; a young woman in London who is training to be a housing officer; and a young man in York who told me that the work he is doing with Groundwork has inspired him to go into horticulture. [Interruption.] Thousands of young people have now started jobs through the future jobs fund. [Interruption.] Conservative Members can shout all they like, but their party wants to pull the plug on that funding and abolish the future jobs fund, and thereby tell more than 100,000 young people across the country to give up on their dreams and their chance of getting work. Conservative Members want to turn their backs on them. How dare they deny those young people a start in their career by not backing that funding and the support it gives young people to get back into jobs?