Editorial: Youth benefit plans are radical but stakes are high for a generation of young people

Reports that a government-commissioned report will recommend moving under-25s off the main sickness and disability benefits demonstrate the scale of concern about the impact of the current welfare system on young people.

One in eight young people are neither in employment education or training (and known as Neets) and ministers are increasingy concerned about both the costs and the societal impacts in the future.

The review into how to deal with the issue has been led by a former Labour health minister, Alan Milburn, who warns that his proposals won't be “pain free”.

What has been revealed so far about the proposals will undoubtedly provoke much political debate – and in particular, within the Labour Party.

It would mean that under 25s would no longer be able to claim the health element of Universal Credit - Personal Independence Payment (Pip).

Instead, this age cohort would be given the same as the basic Universal Credit rate. This is not purely about cutting the welfare bill – it is about making sure that we don't abandon a generation to a miserable life caught up in a benefits trap.

In England and Wales alone, there are 430,000 young people on Pip. That needs to be reduced in a way that does not harm those who genuinely need it. And that's where this idea may run into difficulty, however noble the intention.

Rescuing young people from the benefits trap is only part of the problem facing the government. There needs to be action on those already in it.

In Northern Ireland, around 230,000 people are on Pip overall – an increase of about 49% over five years and the highest rate of any UK region. That is unsustainable both for taxpayers and those caught in a system that isn’t helping.