Youth Unemployment: Rural Areas
3:00 pm
Mike Nesbitt (UUP)
6. asked the Minister for Employment and Learning what action his Department is taking to tackle youth unemployment in rural areas. (AQO 1769/11-15)
Stephen Farry (Alliance)
: I am aware that the economic downturn has hit young people particularly hard, regardless of whether they are from urban or rural areas. In addition to the suite of programmes and initiatives aimed at tackling youth unemployment that are available across Northern Ireland, the Executive recently agreed a policy to add to the provision. The core elements of that policy are: early, intensive diagnosis of employability skills; opportunities for taster work experience for clients while on benefits; individual skills- and careers-focused assessments; sector-based work experience and training in areas of skills shortage; a new employer subsidy for up to one year; a new emphasis on continuing skills development and growth; earlier opportunities to begin skills development; and a range of new measures to help young people who are not in education, employment or training. The policy framework will be finalised when the finance is agreed by the Executive, on the recommendation of the Finance Minister. There is also a range of specialist provision for people with disabilities offered by the Disability Employment Service. The Local Employment Intermediary Service operates in areas of particular deprivation, and it has recently been extended to Moyle, Cookstown and Newry and Mourne.
Although Training for Success and, in particular, the skills for your life strand are available to young people who do not remain in school, attend further education or participate in an apprenticeship programme, the Member will be aware that I will shortly bring forward a strategy to help those young people who are not in education, employment or training. That will be complementary to the proposals to tackle youth unemployment that I have just outlined.
It is my intention that all measures be informed by local needs and circumstances. I will seek to ensure that no young person is left behind, regardless of their circumstances or location.
Mike Nesbitt (UUP)
: I thank the Minister for those action points. He might agree that they appear to be common to the youth unemployed in uban and rural settings. Has the Minsiter undertaken any research specific to the needs of the rural youth unemployed?
Stephen Farry (Alliance)
: It is worth stressing to the Member that the new measures we are setting out will apply across Northern Ireland irrespective of people’s backgrounds. They will be open to people who live in urban and rural settings. In addition, we have a number of existing programmes, and rural factors are taken into account. I referred in my main answer to LEMIS and already that has been extended to Cookstown, Moyle and Newry and Mourne, which are predominantly rural parts of Northern Ireland. That shows sensitivity towards rural interests.
While I am on my feet, it is worth reminding Mr Nesbitt that whenever he makes reference to the figures for youth unemployment, those have stabilised in Northern Ireland over the past year in contrast with all the other three countries in the UK. Although we have a long way to go, the situation here is not as serious as in some other parts. That is a tribute to the work of my Department and a lot of the community sectors that work closely with us in helping young people.
Gregory Campbell (DUP)
: The Minister alluded to youth unemployment in rural areas. He will be aware of the rising crime rate in rural areas as well. What liaison is being undertaken between his Department and the Department of Justice to ensure that opportunities are available to young people in rural areas but, as well, to try to ensure that the criminal activity that is going on at the moment is reduced?
Stephen Farry (Alliance)
: I thank Mr Campbell for his question. The main vehicle for addressing the joined-up working that he is suggesting lies in the forthcoming NEETs strategy. That is very much intended to be a cross-departmental, Executive-wide document. My Department may well be leading on it but other Departments are making significant contributions towards that. Certainly, the Department of Justice and the PSNI will be key partners in a much more holistic approach to addressing the needs of young people.
Christopher Hazzard (Sinn F??in)
: I thank the Minister so far for his answer. Given that South Down is statistically one of the most rural constituencies in the North, and has an increasing number of young people out of work, will the Minister outline what he is doing specifically to tackle that problem in South Down?
Stephen Farry (Alliance)
: I thank the Member for his question and welcome him to the House. Obviously, the LEMIS programme in the Newry and Mourne area will capture parts of the current South Down constituency. I am also aware of the particular issues that affect the constituency, particularly with regard to fishing and lack of opportunities that may pertain in that sector. There are also potential new opportunities with renewable energy on which my Department is working with local communities. A dialogue is going on around specific interventions that we can make to address some of the particular needs in the South Down area.
: Has the Minister’s Department earmarked funds to complement the rural transport fund in encouraging more access to a wider range of employment and training opportunities for the service users?
Stephen Farry (Alliance)
: Again, I thank the Member for the question, and also welcome him to the Assembly. There are no specific additional funds in the manner that the Member suggests. However, depending on the nature of the intervention that my Department supports, there can be circumstances when assistance with transport is available.