Education and Skills Bill

Part of the debate – in a Public Bill Committee at 12:00 pm on 29 January 2008.

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James Cathcart: I think all of us have that choice at any age. There may be circumstances in employment where, because of bullying or mental health or whatever, we have the ability to hand our notice in and leave our level of occupation. What is important is what is done with the choice—if the choice is education, work plus training or training. Is there a fourth choice? That does not necessarily need to be nothing, but it might be an opportunity for young people to do other constructive activities that have been so stimulated—volunteering, for example. If the  choices are the first three or a sanction, I think that is where it feels rather limiting. I know that, indeed, in a lot of the research done prior to the Bill, many other options are explored and arguments put on both side—indeed there are considerable measures to stimulate young people to consider other alternatives. But it is the net result of there only being four choices, and the fourth one attracting a sanction, that rather prompts our opposition to that.