£1 trillion pension burden strengthens case for improved state provision - Webb

"More and more workers will find themselves facing means-testing in old age," said the Liberal Democrat Shadow Work and Pensions Secretary. Commenting on today’s figures from the Pension Protection Fund showing that the liabilities faced by defined benefit pension schemes have topped £1trillion for the first time, Steve Webb said:

“The soaring cost of company pension schemes means that firms are increasingly struggling to keep them going.

“With public sector pensions likely to be reined back along with their private sector counterparts, more and more workers will find themselves facing means-testing in old age.

“If the Government really wants to give people dignity and security in old age, it should guarantee a more generous basic state pension to ensure that people have a firm foundation on which to save for retirement.”

Government is letting down graduates - Webb

Ministers must offer personalised support far earlier to make sure young people’s career prospects aren’t set back," said the Liberal Democrat Shadow Work and Pensions Secretary.

Commenting on figures released today [Thursday 3 September] from the Higher Education Statistics Agency which reveal that almost a quarter of graduates were not in full-time work three and a half years after leaving university, Steve Webb said:

“These figures show that graduates were finding things very tough even before the recession hit.

“Having forked out for at least three years to get a degree, many graduates are finding immediate opportunities few and far between.

“Facing such a hostile employment situation, it is no surprise that many graduates are opting to stay in further education to enhance their job prospects.

“The Government has failed to offer young people the help they need. Ministers must offer personalised support far earlier to make sure young people’s career prospects aren’t set back by a demoralising period of unemployment so soon after leaving education.”

Labour has failed on workless households - Webb

“The Government needs to change the way Jobcentres work so that people get help far earlier," said the Liberal Democrat Shadow Work and Pensions Secretary. Commenting on ONS figures showing the biggest year-on-year increase in the workless household rate since Labour came to power, Steve Webb said:

“Labour’s claims to have tackled worklessness have been exposed as fantasy.

“The alarming jump in the number of households where no one is working is a sure sign that the recession will have a devastating impact on hundreds of thousands of families.

“The Government needs to change the way Jobcentres work so that people get help far earlier. No one should be sat on benefits for a year after losing their job.”

Unemployment figures show we risk a lost generation says Steve Webb

“The Government needs to look urgently at the gaps in the safety net to make sure that people who are out of work are getting the support that they need to see them through this difficult period." Commenting on today’s figures which reveal that unemployment has soared to around 2.44m - the highest figure since 1995, Liberal Democrat Shadow Work and Pensions Secretary, Steve Webb said:

“For many people who’ve never experienced unemployment before, Gordon Brown’s rhetoric about getting people back to work will feel like cold comfort.

“The widening gap between the number of unemployed people and the number of people claiming benefits shows vulnerable people aren’t getting the help they need.

“The Government needs to look urgently at the gaps in the safety net to make sure that people who are out of work are getting the support that they need to see them through this difficult period.

“Unemployment assistance needs to be more personalised and JobCentre staff need to be given the resources necessary to help people get back on their feet quickly.

“Young people should be getting intensive support as soon as they sign on instead of having to wait a year for a guarantee of a job or training place. With vacancies at a record low, it is vital that we prevent today’s school and university leavers from becoming a lost generation of long-term unemployed.”rt more money to the front line rather than to bureaucrats.”