Letter: Cold world outside the parental home

Sir: With regard to your appraisal of the 'Incompletely Launched Young Adult (Ilya)' phenomenon ('Mum, can I have my old room back for a bit?', 16 December), may I offer my opinion?

First, for many young people facing unemployment and bankruptcy in a depression there is a simple choice to be made: living with parents, or living homeless on the streets.

Second, unlike the Thirties depression when the expanding electrical and motor industries were eagerly recruiting, this time there are no jobs at all to be had. There is no way back to complete adulthood for young people who have been consumed then disposed of by market forces.

Third, most Ilya's do not get pounds 50 haircuts and lounge around the house all day. Instead, they help out around the home, do voluntary work, retrain, and if they have any sense, they make plans to

emigrate.

Finally, the next generation of youngsters faces even bleaker prospects than today's Ilya's. With the erosion of student grants, higher education may be off limits; cuts in government training schemes preclude acquiring work experience and skills.

Tomorrow's young people will be unemployable: the only place for them is on street corners or inside the sleek new prisons.

I can only end by thanking parents for their generosity in letting their children in out of the cold world outside, and thus giving society another chance.

Yours faithfully,

J. POPE

London, SW12

16 December