Oral question asked in the House of Commons, by John Howell (Conservative). It was answered on Wednesday, 13 January 2010 on behalf of the Scotland Office.

Employment

Question: What assurances can the Minister give about the quality and permanence of the jobs that he claims to be creating for young people in Scotland?

Answer: First, there is a guarantee that those jobs are better than being on the dole—the option that the hon. Gentleman's party took throughout the 1980s when in government; and there are a quarter of a million more people in work throughout Scotland now than there were when we came to power. But of course, the genuine point behind the hon. Gentleman's question is about guaranteeing that those young people get meaningful employment, that the job turns into a career and that such people, when they themselves have children, have the finance and self-dependency to provide for them. We are determined to do all that we can.

Secondary information