Alan Milburn, the former Labour health secretary leading a government review into young people who are not in education, employment or training, has told the Guardian that ministers should move money from benefits into employment support.
His review estimates that a record one million 18- to 24-year-olds now fall into the so-called Neet group, and that about 60% of them have never had a job. Milburn described the issue as one of young people becoming detached from work rather than a normal swing in unemployment, and linked it closely to poor mental health.
The comments come ahead of Chancellor John Healey's first budget. Ministers have delayed Milburn's final report until after the budget, and his call for welfare savings is likely to prove contentious within Labour.
Source: The Guardian