HC Deb 13 March 1956 vol 550 cc214-6
11. Mr. Malcolm MacPherson

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland how much of the proposed £10 million building programme for the central institutions and local technical colleges mentioned in Command Paper No. 9703, Technical Education, it is expected to start within the next two years.

Mr. Henderson Stewart

I hope that about £3 million will be started, but much depends on the speed with which sites are acquired and plans prepared by the local authorities and central institutions concerned.

Mr. MacPherson

Does the hon. Gentleman realise that this statement, together with the statement repeated twice in the White Paper, that building in Scotland will be started in five years, compares very badly, from the point of view of immediacy and urgency, with the English statement, namely, that a five-year programme of development will be put in hand immediately?

Mr. Stewart

I was trying to be cautious about this matter. I hope that the figure of £3 million will be exceeded, but we feel tolerably sure that at least a programme involving that expenditure will be started within the period mentioned.

Miss Herbison

Is the hon. Gentleman aware that grave fears exist in Scotland in connection with this programme, when it is compared with the 40 per cent. delay in the school buildings which were supposed to be started in Scotland in 1955? Can the hon. Gentleman give us any guarantee that there will be no delays in this £3 million worth of building for technical education?

Mr. Stewart

The hon. Lady knows that I cannot guarantee that kind of thing. I can only tell her that the information in our possession leads us confidently to believe that this will be done.

12. Mr. Malcolm MacPherson

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland the total number of student places in scientific and technical subjects at present available in the central institutions; and to what number this total will be raised by the new building programme.

Mr. Henderson Stewart

The Central (Technical) Institutions are estimated to have about 3,200 places for day students. Extensions at present under construction and further extensions envisaged will provide about 1,500 additional places.

Mr. MacPherson

To what extent does the hon. Member calculate that that provision will go any distance at all, beyond meeting the increase in student numbers due to the bulge in population? Is it not the case that that is roughly the amount which would be needed to meet that bulge, and that there will be no proportionate increase in the number of places available for technical students?

Mr. Stewart

I would not quarrel too much with the hon. Member in that statement. If we can get more we shall. What we have said is that that is our minimum object. We should like local authorities to do more.

26. Mr. Ross

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland how many additional teachers will be required to implement the recently-announced programme for technical education; and how he proposes to recruit these teachers.

Mr. Henderson Stewart

When the proposed extended facilities for technical education are fully in operation, it is estimated that a further 500 to 600 full-time teachers will be required. It is hoped that these teachers will be recruited from among the present large number of part-time further education teachers, from industry, and from among school teachers.

Mr. Ross

Is the Joint Under-Secretary aware that this is one of the parts of the White Paper with reference to Scotland where there is an obvious gap? We have been given little or no information about the supply of teachers. Will he take an early opportunity to expand his statement?

Mr. Stewart

I should like very much to have such an opportunity.

27. Mr. Willis

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland to what extent buildings for the purposes of technical education form part of the present arrears of school building in Scotland.

Mr. Henderson Stewart

All the major projects for technical education which were expected to start in 1955–56 have done so.