SDLP Foyle MLA Mark H Durkan has said government must protect vulnerable young people from the worst effects of Welfare Reform, particularly those under 25 on Housing Benefit.Speaking after receiving a response from the Department of Social Development to an Assembly Question revealing that there are currently 1,538 people under the age of 25 in receipt of Housing Benefit in Derry, Mr Durkan said: "The Welfare Reform Bill being steamrollered through government is going to hit everyone hard, particularly young people in our city, and given the British Prime Minister’s future proposals to completely remove Housing Benefit from those under 25 after the next election, the consequences could be catastrophic for our society.

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"The vast majority of young people do not want to be on benefits, nor do they see it as a favourable lifestyle choice, but have been left with no other option but to seek help from the State.

"The fact is that there is an overwhelming sense of hopelessness among our youth with scare employment opportunities and a lack of adequate government training and apprenticeship schemes to give many of them the skills which they require to compete in the job market.

"Targeting young people on housing benefit will not result in huge government savings, nor will it create a better society. It will instead put an even greater strain on our homeless shelters and our already over-stretched health service and will deepen the sense of alienation which is felt by so many young people in our city.

"We cannot afford to lose any more of our young people to emigration, prison or suicide. It is essential that the Social Development Minister and political parties do not sit idly by and allow the harmful changes to our benefits system being proposed at Westminster to be directly enacted in Northern Ireland. We must make devolution deliver for our young people and introduce pragmatic measures to mitigate against the worst impact of these reforms."

(CD)