HC Deb 29 May 1962 vol 660 cc1129-32
5. Mr. Gardner

asked the Secretary for Technical Co-operation what steps are being taken by Her Majesty's Government to encourage service overseas by volunteers, especially graduates and other young people.

Mr. Vosper

As a result of discussions with representatives of a large number of voluntary societies and other interested people a scheme has been worked out to co-ordinate and stimulate the recruitment of volunteers for overseas service. I am circulating in the OFFICIAL REPORT a statement which I have agreed with the societies concerned and for whose co-operation I am most grateful.

These steps to stimulate voluntary service are of course supplementary to the general recruitment activities of my Department, about which I am making a separate statement today.

Mr. Gardner

Although I welcome the statement which has just been made by my right hon. Friend, may I ask whether he would agree that the organisation which has had, and now is having, a spectacular success in sending boys and girls overseas from the schools and industry to give unpaid a year of their life overseas, is Voluntary Service Over seas? Will he take into account the outstanding record of that organisation when deciding and apportioning the grant which eventually will be given to these societies? Can he say whether a grant similar in proportion to the grant which is being given by the American Government to the Peace Corps is likely to be forthcoming from the British Government?

Mr. Vosper

Voluntary Service Overseas is one of the organisations whose help I have much appreciated in formulating these proposals. When I receive its proposals for the coming year, I will have regard to what my hon. and learned Friend has said. In reply to the latter part of the supplementary question, I think it false to make a comparison with the American Peace Corps, because this is supplementary to our technical recruitment campaign, to which I referred in answer to an earlier Question.

Mr. John Hall

Can my right hon. Friend say how many young men and women have volunteered for service overseas?

Mr. Vosper

The current programme for Voluntary Service Overseas is 160, but there are other organisations which send a number overseas. I hope that for the year ahead there will be a considerable advance over that number.

Mr. Thomson

While joining with the hon. and learned Member for Billericay (Mr. Gardner) in paying tribute to Voluntary Service Overseas, may I ask if the Minister is aware that there is a need for putting this sort of help on a wider scale? Can he say whether it is his intention to set up some sort of co-ordinating organisation, or is his own Ministry taking direct responsibility for this?

Mr. Vosper

I welcome that supplementary question, because one proposal which will appear in the statement to be circulated in the OFFICIAL REPORT is, in fact, that there is to be a co-ordinating committee, on which will be represented all the bodies concerned, and which I hope will co-ordinate existing activities and stimulate further activities.

Sir J. Maitland

Is it not rather unfortunate that the American Peace Corps has had a tremendous amount of publicity, when we had been doing this work long before they started? Is it not part of the duty of the Government to see that the people who do this sort of work get the maximum amount of help and publicity, so that others may know what they are doing?

Mr. Vosper

I quite agree with my hon. Friend. Organisations in this country have engaged in this field for some years, and I hope that this Question will help to publicise these activities. I am seeing in what way my Department may supplement them.

Mr. Gardner

Will not my right hon. Friend agree that of the 30 million dollars spent by the American Government on the Peace Corps last year, a considerable amount went in publicity, while not a single penny has gone into publicity concerned with Voluntary Service Overseas?

Mr. Vosper

That is a matter for Voluntary Service Overseas. I think they have received a fair amount of publicity, and I am anxious to see that they receive further publicity, but it should be on a wider front than one organisation.

Following is the statement: In view of the great and growing interest in the service overseas by volunteers, meetings have recently been held in the Department of Technical Co-operation with voluntary societies and other bodies concerned. It was agreed that the task of recruiting volunteers and sending them overseas could best be discharged by the voluntary bodies;but that their work in this field could be made more effective by co-ordination. Accordingly plans for co-operation among the voluntary societies have been agreed.

2. With the encouragement of the Secretary for Technical Co-operation a Committee, to be known as the Voluntary Societies' Committee for Service Overseas, has been established. This Committee will have two functions:

  1. (a) It will undertake general co-ordination of the work of voluntary societies in the whole field of voluntary service overseas by school-leavers, young graduates and other qualified or trained personnel.
  2. (b) In view of the importance of the recruitment of young graduates and other qualified or trained personnel as volunteers the Committee will work out a scheme for graduates. It will formulate general policy for the recruitment of graduate volunteers;maintain contact with universities, colleges, industry and commerce in order to encourage applications for voluntary service;and disseminate information about the progress of schemes.

3. In relation to graduates, no less than with voluntary service generally, the voluntary societies will themselves remain responsible for all executive action connected with the recruitment, despatch and administration of volunteers, as well as the selection of projects.

4. Dr. J. F. Lockwood, Master of Birkbeck College, will be Chairman of the Committee, which will include amongst its members representatives of—

There will also be six members from Universities, Colleges of Advanced Technology, schools, industry and commerce.

5. The National Council of Social Service has agreed to provide a Secretariat for the Committee from the secretarial staff of the recently established Standing Conference of Voluntary Organisations Co-operating in Overseas Social Service.

6. The Committee will start work at once on planning a campaign for recruitment of graduates as volunteers for the summer of 1963. If adequate public support is forthcoming a substantial number will be recruited.

7. Meanwhile for 1962 it is planned to send fifty graduates to Africa on a pilot scheme for volunteer teachers. Her Majesty's Government will pay for return passages and terminal grants for these volunteers and meet some other incidental costs. They will go mainly to schools for which voluntary societies are recruiting staff. The Overseas Appointments Bureau, Catholic Overseas Appointments, Voluntary Service Overseas, the British Council and the Department of Technical Cooperation are co-operating in this scheme, which is being administered by Voluntary Service Overseas.

8. In addition, the United Nations Association, the National Union of Students and International Voluntary Service are planning to send abroad this year small numbers of graduate volunteers for a year or more. Voluntary Service Overseas are continuing to build up their existing substantial programmes for sending school-leavers overseas. If suitable schemes are presented by those bodies the Department of Technical Co-operation will be ready to provide financial support up to an amount similar to that for the pilot scheme for volunteer teachers.