To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the effect of the Youth Contract on older employees in (a) East Midlands and (b) Leicester City.

Our existing programmes will be supporting up to 350,000 young people over the next two years, but we recognise that the current economic situation means that some young people are still finding that getting work is not easy. The Youth Contract is being introduced with the aim of getting more young people involved in meaningful jobs and training early in their working lives to ensure that they are not left behind.

This renewed effort is not expected to be to the detriment of older workers, and we will continue to offer a full and effective package of support to help older unemployed people through a range of flexible support offered by Jobcentre Plus. For those at risk of long-term unemployment there is the Work programme, and for those interested in setting up a business there is the new enterprise allowance.