Question
Q5. Having lived my whole life in Easterhouse, one of Scotland’s most deprived communities, I know the challenges that our young people face, but also their enormous potential. I was therefore encouraged to hear the Prime Minister commit to the Easterhouse principle, inspired by the work of Ian Montague and the charity FARE Scotland’s “names not numbers” approach. Will the Prime Minister accept my invitation to return to FARE with the Work and Pensions Secretary to discuss making that principle a guide for supporting young people across Britain?
Answer
I will give my hon. Friend that commitment, because the visit I made to FARE Scotland some years ago had a huge impact, and I know that the right hon. Member for Chingford and Woodford Green (Sir Iain Duncan Smith) was very much inspired by the same. FARE takes a very personal approach—a “names not numbers” approach—and I took that to our work in Greater Manchester on employment support. Exactly as I was saying to the right hon. Member for Dwyfor Meirionnydd (Liz Saville Roberts) just a moment ago, that should be the way that we approach supporting people in work across the country, as pioneered in my hon. Friend’s constituency by FARE Scotland.12% vibes
Verdict: AMBER (60/100)
The Minister directly accepted the invitation to return to FARE Scotland with the Work and Pensions Secretary, which fully answers that part of the question. On the second part, the reply praised the Easterhouse/FARE approach but shifted its focus to people in work and did not commit to discussing it as a guide for young people across Britain. Because that part is only partly answered, the constituent would likely need to ask again for a specific commitment.
How we got there
| Question item | Coverage | Specificity | Rationale |
|---|---|---|---|
| Will the Prime Minister accept the invitation to return to FARE Scotland with the Work and Pensions Secretary. | Addressed | Direct | The reply gives a clear, unambiguous commitment ('I will give my hon. Friend that commitment') to the invitation to return to FARE Scotland with the Work and Pensions Secretary, and the surrounding statements support the context of that visit. |
| Will the Government discuss making the Easterhouse principle a guide for supporting young people across Britain. | Partially Addressed | Hedged | The reply praises the Easterhouse/FARE approach and says it 'should be the way that we approach supporting people in work across the country', but it never states that the Government will discuss adopting it as a guide for young people across Britain, and it shifts the focus from young people to people in work. |