Govt may axe jobless benefit for youngsters

Press, 11 June 1982, Page 4

Govt may axe jobless benefit for youngsters

Parliamentary reporter The Government is considering withdrawing the unemployment benefit from young people aged 16 and 17. This is one of the options being considered while decisions are being made on how to reduce Government spending 3 per cent. ' The latest statistics on unemployment show the gains that would be made. There were 3825 schoolleavers registerd as unemployed in May, about 1000 down on March. In May there were 13,523 in private sector job-creation programmes, and 15.071 in public sector job-creation programmes, many of whom would be school-leavers. The reasoning behind withdrawing the unemployment

benefit is twofold — adolescents should be the responsibility of families and parents, and they would benefit from continuing their education. Withdrawing the unemployment benefit from them would reduce costs to the State by obliging them either to live at home at the expense of their families if they left school, or be a charge to the education service in facilities (buildings and teachers) already provided. Consideration is being given to introducing the scheme immediately for unemployed people, aged 16. and progressive introduction for those aged 17. This would tend, gradually to reduce the number of

registered unemployed and also the amount the Government was paying out in benefits. It also has a number of pitfalls, which officials are urging the Government to consider: © Keeping young people at school would put pressure on an education system which is also being cut' 3 per cont. © It would keep at school the young people who have been' most keen for years toleave it, thus giving' schools an ongoing disruptive element. @ Families and parents may have problems keeping a home together with an out-of-work teen-ager who brings in no income, with consequent economic and domestic tensions.