§ 4. Mr. William Hamiltonasked the President of the Board of Trade if he is aware that large export orders are being lost by Scottish firms because of the shortages of skilled labour; to what extent this experience is widespread throughout the United Kingdom; and what steps he intends to take to remedy the situation.
§ The President of the Board of Trade (Mr. Douglas Jay)I am aware that production in some firms both in Scotland and elsewhere is limited by shortage of skilled labour and that this may affect exports. The Government's measures to increase training and retraining and to help exporting firms which are short of manpower were explained by my right hon. Friend the Minister of Labour in the economic debate on 30th November.
§ Mr. HamiltonHas my right hon. Friend had any discussions with the firm of Ferranti in Scotland in view of the recent statement by the chairman that a £3 million order had been lost because of the shortage of skilled labour? Will my right hon. Friend take steps to provide the House with much more information than we have had hitherto as to the extent of this problem?
§ Mr. JayI have not had direct conversations because training is a matter for my right hon. Friend the Minister of Labour. If, however, Ferranti's are in need of factory space or land, I should be very glad to see what I can do for them.
§ Mr. CorfieldTo what extent does the President of the Board of Trade take into account the supply of skilled labour, as opposed to the unemployment figures as a whole, when deciding on the granting of industrial development certificates?
§ Mr. JayMost certainly we take that into account as one of the relevant factors. But we are, of course, extremely anxious to increase the supply of skilled labour by training and all other possible measures.