§ 38. Mr. Haleasked the Minister of Labour whether he is aware of the increasing difficulties of finding suitable employment for boys and girls leaving school in the north-western area and that children of promise are being forced into dead-end jobs; and what steps he proposes to take.
§ Mr. WoodI am aware that there are not enough apprenticeships and that boys may have to take work which is not their first choice, although most of them are eventually placed in employment suited to their qualifications. For girls, there were in the second week of April almost twice as many vacancies in the North-Western Region as the number of girls unemployed. As regards the last part of the Question, I would refer the hon. Member to my statement of 30th April in this House.
§ Mr. HaleI am much obliged for that reply. I appreciate that the Question was put down before that date. The hon. Gentleman knows that in December we were faced with what was for Oldham a fairly new problem, in that we had not had it to that extent before, and I should be grateful for the hon. Gentleman's assurance that he will keep a constant watch on this problem.
§ Mr. LawsonHow does the Parliamentary Secretary reach the conclusion that most of these boys and girls are eventually placed in jobs suitable to their capabilities, because that is far from my own experience?
§ Mr. WoodThe hon. Gentleman's experience in Scotland may be different from the experience in the north-western region. The information I have received from the youth employment officers was that eventually most of the boys and girls in the area for which I was answering are placed in jobs which suit their qualifications. If the hon. Gentleman would like to question me particularly about his boys and girls in Scotland. I will try to answer him.