Debate on economic recovery and welfare

• Commons Hansard: Debate on economic recovery and welfare
• Video and Audio: Debate on economic recovery and welfare
• Glossary: Opposition Days

The Opposition motion was as follows:

Mr David Cameron, Mr Kenneth Clarke, Mrs Theresa May, Mr Mark Prisk, Mr Mark Harper, Mr Patrick McLoughlin

That this House recognises the jobs crisis facing thousands of households as unemployment continues to rise with nearly 2,000 people a day losing their job; regrets the UK’s declining competitiveness; further regrets the Government’s failure to roll out effective recession schemes to offer support to the struggling small and medium-sized enterprises sector; calls on the Government to do more to increase UK competitiveness through cancelling their planned increase in the small companies tax rate, reducing corporation tax, and restarting their stalled plans for better regulation; further calls on the Government to tackle unemployment and long-term worklessness by replacing the Flexible New Deal, Pathways to Work and the various other New Deal programmes with a new integrated programme to provide personalised long-term support for people out of work, including those on incapacity benefit, and to make better use of private and voluntary sector welfare-to-work providers by paying them by results.

The Government amendment was as follows:

The Prime Minister, Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, Ms Harriet Harman, Secretary Yvette Cooper, Secretary Jim Murphy, Mr Secretary Hain, Mr Secretary Woodward, Mr Pat McFadden

Line 1, leave out from ‘House’ to end and add ‘welcomes the Government’s decision to support families and businesses during the current global downturn; believes it is vital the Government takes an active role to support recovery and build future economic strength; notes the authoritative view of business leaders and leading economists against premature withdrawal of the support for the economy; commends the Government’s leadership in co-ordinating the international action, through the G20, to support jobs and growth; further welcomes the Government’s decision to invest an extra £5 billion to help people back into work and provide the Young Person’s Guarantee, increased numbers of Jobcentre Plus staff, 150,000 Future Jobs Fund jobs and an offer to all jobseekers at six months; calls on business and the voluntary sector to support the campaign Backing Young Britain; further welcomes the introduction of the Employment and Support Allowance, the accompanying Work Capability Assessment, the expansion of Access to Work, and the Flexible New Deal delivering tailored support with providers paid by results; further believes that it is the right judgement by Government to encourage investment by small and medium-sized enterprises through the Enterprise Finance Guarantee and other support; further welcomes the successful car scrappage scheme; further welcomes the help for over 150,000 businesses through giving more time to pay tax bills; and commends the Government’s new industrial activism, which, combined with the real help now being offered, will help secure the country’s future prosperity.’