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Budget Resolutions and Economic Situation

We are coming out of the deepest world recession for very many generations, and of course it has hit employment. However, the level of employment is still higher than it was in 1997 and we have seen the first falls in unemployment much earlier than was the case in previous recessions. I hope that the hon. Gentleman will welcome the 440 future jobs fund jobs in his region, but I am sorry if he wants his party to cut them back and to cut that support for young people. We must ensure that we bring borrowing down in future, once the economy is growing. That is why this Budget sets out a clear plan to cut the deficit, by more than halving it over four years and cutting the structural deficit by two thirds over the course of the Parliament. No other Government in the world have set out such a detailed plan.