Fears intensify a generation of youngsters could be lost to life on benefits | Politics | News
Ministers who launched an investigation into youth unemployment fear that a generation of young people benefiting from social assistance may lose their lives.
According to the Office for National Statistics, around one million – or around one in eight – aged 16 to 24 are not in education, employment or training (Neet).
More than a quarter consider long-term illness or disability as a disability, and the number of people using health benefits is also increasing.
Former Health Secretary Alan Milburn is leading an independent investigation into the growing scandal amid fears Britain’s welfare bill is out of control.
Mr Milburn, who served under Sir Tony Blair’s New Labor administration in the 1990s and early 2000s, said “urgent action” was needed.
“We cannot stand by and watch the young generation be condemned to an unemployed and hopeless life,” he said.
“So, with the help of a panel of expert advisors, I will aim to get to the bottom of why current efforts are not preventing young people from becoming stuck out of work and education.
“The review will be uncompromising in exposing failings in employment support, education, skills, health and wellbeing, and will produce far-reaching recommendations for change to increase young people’s opportunities to learn and earn.”
The independent Office for Budget Responsibility estimates that the overall bill for health and disability benefits for working-age people alone will rise to around £72.3bn in 2029-30.
But ministers shelved attempts to cut welfare spending on disability benefits to appease Labor backbenchers.
Work and Pensions Minister Mr McFadden said: “The rising number of young people not in education, employment or training is a crisis of opportunity that requires further action to give them the chance to learn or earn.
“We cannot afford to lose a generation of young people to a life of benefits, no job prospects and not enough hope.
“I am committed to building a system that supports young people not just to find work, but to build a better future, because when young people succeed, Britain succeeds.
“If we get this right, the reward is huge: we transform lives and life opportunities by unlocking the pent-up potential of the next generation, unlocking our economy and building a better future for everyone.”
Asked whether he thought overdiagnosis was fueling a mental health crisis among young people, Mr McFadden told the Sunday Times: “I don’t want to play amateur doctor. I want to approach this issue sensitively.”
“The question I ask is: Given the higher reported rates of these disorders among young people, what is the best policy response?
“I don’t believe there should be an automatic connection between diagnosis and benefits.”
