HC Deb 23 July 1964 vol 699 cc686-7
Q3. Mr. Grimond

asked the Prime Minister if he will propose to the other Commonwealth Governments that the proposals in the communiqué of the Conference of the Commonwealth Prime Ministers for a Commonwealth Foundation to encourage exchanges in the fields of the professions should be extended to cover training and exchanges of technical personnel.

The Prime Minister

The proposals for a Commonwealth Foundation, together with other projects mentioned in the communiqué, have now been remitted to Commonwealth officials for study. I would not exclude the idea of a Foundation extending its activities as proposed and no doubt this will form part of the study by officials. But this is a matter on which all Commonwealth Governments will have to agree. Much will, of course, depend on the funds available to the Foundation at the beginning and on the fact that it has been devised essentially as a means of promoting further Commonwealth links in the professional field.

Mr. Grimond

I thank the Prime Minister for saying that he is not averse to extending the remit of the Foundation. Is he aware that the need in many of the developing countries for skilled personnel and for technicians is as great as the need for professional men and women, and that some years ago there was an attempt to start in this country a scheme for bringing people from those countries for apprenticeships here, a scheme which was backed by employers and unions? Would it not be a great service if the Government put their influence behind the scheme and made funds available to expand it?

The Prime Minister

I think that this may certainly be a development in the future. We do not want to overstretch the Foundation to start with. We have to find the necessary money to finance it at present in the education field and it is now proposed in the fields of medicine and engineering, too. The Secretary for Technical Co-operation and the Commonwealth Relations Office arrange technical assistance with other Governments.