§ 16. Mr. Henderson Stewartasked the Minister of Labour in how many cases Government trainees in the building industry have been obliged to transfer to other industries on account of changes in the building programme.
§ Mr. IsaacsNone, Sir; the industry will be able to absorb all those already admitted to training and further admissions have been almost entirely suspended. There are at the moment some 2,700 cases in which the 14 months training with an employer, after leaving the centres, is interrupted, but it is not possible to say in how many of these cases this is due to changes in the building programme. These men are being put back in industry as quickly as possible where they can complete their training unless they elect to seek their careers in other industries.
§ Mr. StewartDoes the Minister recollect the case I brought to his notice, where he said that certain men had been moved from the building industry to another industry because of changes in the.building programme; and will he say how many cases there are of that kind?
§ Mr. IsaacsI could not say how many cases there are. I do not recall the particular case to which the hon. Gentleman refers. Most of these transfers will be due to changes in the building programme. If there is not so much building work going on, the men are not able to find a suitable trade.