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Economic Downturn (Unemployment)

I thank my hon. Friend for that intervention. The Government and I of course share her concern about youth unemployment and the need to have open discussions about that in local communities, because the issue worries many people: not only the young people themselves, but their parents and grandparents too. I have little time left and so will come speedily to a conclusion. I close by reiterating what my right hon. Friend the Minister for the South West said in his opening comments: it is incumbent on all of us here to do as much as we can to work together for the benefit of our regional businesses and citizens. As he said, if the policies we are pursing are not working, we will want to work with partners to fix them. In a sense, he defined the importance of his role in the region by asking specifically for that input in order to try to break logjams and aid communications to assist our region and benefit it. I, too, want to do as much as I can to work with him and with departmental colleagues to ensure that the policy developed in Whitehall is coherent and deliverable at the local level, and I look forward to working with members of the Committee and my colleagues in the Government to achieve those important aims here in the south-west. Question put. The Committee divided: Ayes 6, Noes 12. Question accordingly negatived.