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Commenting on the Prime Minister’s reply, David Lammy said:
“Get on their bikes and go where? There are almost a quarter of a million job seekers in London but barely 30,000 vacancies to fill.
“It is insulting to imply that my unemployed constituents haven’t looked for work beyond Tottenham. They want work, but it just isn’t there, be it in N17, EC4 or SW1. The work programme will not do anything for my constituents if there isn’t any work to do to start with.”
“Unemployment is a curse on places like Tottenham. Young people are leaving school and coming of age on the dole queue. Families are breaking down as parents are struggling to cope with no work to provide food, purpose and direction.
“This government is sorely mistaken if the work programme alone will make a difference in Tottenham. We need a new plan for growth and for jobs.”
ENDS
NOTES:
1. The full text of David’s question:
The Prime Minister has described the work programme ‘the biggest back to work programme since the 1930s’, but he will be aware that the programme doesn't create jobs, it merely links people up with vacancies. There are over 6,500 people in Tottenham scrambling for just 150 full time vacancies. How will the work programme work for them?
2. The full text of the Prime Minister’s response will be available from here: http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm/cmtoday/cmdebate/home.htm
3. Labour Market data on unemployment, vacancies and economic inactivity can be found on www.nomisweb.co.uk (ONS Official Labour Market Statistics):
