Steve Darling

It is a pleasure to follow the hon. Member for Oldham East and Saddleworth (Debbie Abrahams), who always has something of value to bring to the Chamber. There are 1 million youngsters not in employment, education or training; this has been brewing for many years, but sadly has been exacerbated by the new Labour Government. We have seen the sad decline of our high streets over the last 20 years, a quarter of a million jobs lost in retail in the last five years and, since the last Budget, 100,000 jobs lost in hospitality. The dual impact of the national insurance change—the jobs tax—and business rates has hit hard. Whitbread has cut 3,800 jobs across the United Kingdom, with the closure of two restaurants in my constituency—one in Torquay and one in Paignton. I welcome most findings of the Alan Milburn review; the Liberal Democrats welcome the sense of direction. However, I have some key questions. Does the Minister have some clear economic plans to grow jobs for young people, and how can we develop greater connections with our European partners in order to grow our economy?