Pre-Budget Report

In the plethora of quotes my hon. Friend gave us from the outside experts, one of the key points to consider—which is very much in tune with the wishes of the hon. Member for Luton, North (Kelvin Hopkins) and even the Government—is the need to stop the huge rise in unemployment. Does it not strike my hon. Friend as counter-intuitive to raise national insurance when one is trying to increase employment and reduce unemployment?