To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what guidance is provided for jobseekers at Jobcentre Plus offices on the availability of computers for carrying out job searches.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what guidance is provided for jobseekers at Jobcentre Plus offices on the availability of computers for carrying out job searches.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what jobcentres she has visited since her appointment.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what jobcentres she has visited since her appointment.

I support a great deal of what the right hon. Gentleman is saying, but does he think that it would help the debate if we clarified that we are not necessarily talking about the unemployed? We are talking about people who are economically inactive, and have been on economically inactive...

I support a great deal of what the right hon. Gentleman is saying, but does he think that it would help the debate if we clarified that we are not necessarily talking about the unemployed? We are talking about people who are economically inactive, and have been on economically inactive...

I have made it clear, I hope, that we will not support the proposals made by the hon. Member for Birmingham, Selly Oak (Lynne Jones), but Liberal Democrat Members' comments suggest that they might do so, which would add that to the already-long list of Liberal Democrat spending commitments. We...

I have made it clear, I hope, that we will not support the proposals made by the hon. Member for Birmingham, Selly Oak (Lynne Jones), but Liberal Democrat Members' comments suggest that they might do so, which would add that to the already-long list of Liberal Democrat spending commitments. We...

I give way to the hon. Gentleman, although I think that I know what he is going to say.

I give way to the hon. Gentleman, although I think that I know what he is going to say.

It is a pleasure to follow the hon. Lady, although I do not agree with the substance of her amendments. I congratulate her on the elegant—I mean eloquent—way in which she presented her case. Although she was eloquent, as well as elegant, I must advise my hon. Friends to vote...

It is a pleasure to follow the hon. Lady, although I do not agree with the substance of her amendments. I congratulate her on the elegant—I mean eloquent—way in which she presented her case. Although she was eloquent, as well as elegant, I must advise my hon. Friends to vote...

I was going to turn to that point, but as the hon. Gentleman is there already I will deal with it now. If he studies the Green Paper that we issued last January, he will see that it mentions the age limit of five and that there is no age...

I was going to turn to that point, but as the hon. Gentleman is there already I will deal with it now. If he studies the Green Paper that we issued last January, he will see that it mentions the age limit of five and that there is no age...

To be fair to the Government, they have said that they foresee that there will be discussions and interviews. Behind those interviews, however, there will be requirements and the possibility of sanctions and of directions from advisers to single parents. The Government have to face the fact that, under this...

To be fair to the Government, they have said that they foresee that there will be discussions and interviews. Behind those interviews, however, there will be requirements and the possibility of sanctions and of directions from advisers to single parents. The Government have to face the fact that, under this...

Such places may be available, but the Minister for Employment and Welfare Reform conceded in Committee that such places were not available throughout the whole country. The Government looked into the issue themselves and published a Green Paper, which I adverted to earlier following a helpful intervention. In that Green...

Such places may be available, but the Minister for Employment and Welfare Reform conceded in Committee that such places were not available throughout the whole country. The Government looked into the issue themselves and published a Green Paper, which I adverted to earlier following a helpful intervention. In that Green...

Yes, I will. Perhaps the hon. Lady is going to tell us that they will not face such sanctions.

Yes, I will. Perhaps the hon. Lady is going to tell us that they will not face such sanctions.

I give Ministers the credit of thinking that they want to listen to the debate. They may want to hear what I have to say; they may want to listen to what their hon. Friends say. What I am saying is that if the Government press ahead with this provision,...

I give Ministers the credit of thinking that they want to listen to the debate. They may want to hear what I have to say; they may want to listen to what their hon. Friends say. What I am saying is that if the Government press ahead with this provision,...

Unemployment. Seventh Opposition Day debate (part 1). Main question negatived on division (161 votes to 349). Amendment agreed to on question.

Unemployment. Seventh Opposition Day debate (part 1). Main question negatived on division (161 votes to 349). Amendment agreed to on question.

So the hon. Gentleman says, but one of Labour's key pledges was:""We will get 250,000 young unemployed off benefit and into work"." Today, as my hon. Friends have reminded the House, there are 140,000 more 16 to 24-year-olds unemployed than there were in 1997. That is the scale of the...

So the hon. Gentleman says, but one of Labour's key pledges was:""We will get 250,000 young unemployed off benefit and into work"." Today, as my hon. Friends have reminded the House, there are 140,000 more 16 to 24-year-olds unemployed than there were in 1997. That is the scale of the...

Yes. The Government have broken another promise. They said that they would ensure that the vacancies were advertised in the jobcentres, but they failed. I think that the Secretary of State would do better to keep quiet rather than intervening from a sedentary position. What he fails to face up...

Yes. The Government have broken another promise. They said that they would ensure that the vacancies were advertised in the jobcentres, but they failed. I think that the Secretary of State would do better to keep quiet rather than intervening from a sedentary position. What he fails to face up...

This has been a good debate with thoughtful contributions that remind us how, in the words of my hon. Friend the Member for North-East Hertfordshire (Mr. Heald), unemployment is a searing experience for so many of our constituents, many of whom are experiencing it for the first time, or for...

This has been a good debate with thoughtful contributions that remind us how, in the words of my hon. Friend the Member for North-East Hertfordshire (Mr. Heald), unemployment is a searing experience for so many of our constituents, many of whom are experiencing it for the first time, or for...

I will not give way to the hon. Gentleman, because he has not been present throughout the debate. The final line of the Government amendment states, somewhat unbelievably, that the House""further believes that the Government should increase the support offered to people trapped on benefits by previous recessions."" So now...

I will not give way to the hon. Gentleman, because he has not been present throughout the debate. The final line of the Government amendment states, somewhat unbelievably, that the House""further believes that the Government should increase the support offered to people trapped on benefits by previous recessions."" So now...

Will the hon. Gentleman give way?

Will the hon. Gentleman give way?

I agree with the hon. Lady. We also think that it is good for lone parents to work, and the evidence is that work is beneficial to them and to their children. However, there is a balance to be struck between the care of young children and the work of...

I agree with the hon. Lady. We also think that it is good for lone parents to work, and the evidence is that work is beneficial to them and to their children. However, there is a balance to be struck between the care of young children and the work of...

The hon. Gentleman is making a considered and well informed speech, but he refers to that idea as a canard. The canard actually comes from the Government's own consultation paper, the back of which refers to charging interest on social fund recipients. It sets out the impact of that and...

The hon. Gentleman is making a considered and well informed speech, but he refers to that idea as a canard. The canard actually comes from the Government's own consultation paper, the back of which refers to charging interest on social fund recipients. It sets out the impact of that and...

This has been a very good debate, with some powerful personal accounts, including the last two contributions. I do not have time to mention all the speeches made, but I commend my hon. Friend the Member for Bournemouth, West (Sir John Butterfill), who made a powerful speech on behalf of...

This has been a very good debate, with some powerful personal accounts, including the last two contributions. I do not have time to mention all the speeches made, but I commend my hon. Friend the Member for Bournemouth, West (Sir John Butterfill), who made a powerful speech on behalf of...