§ 45. Mr. William Hamiltonasked the Minister of Labour how many of the miners made redundant by the recent accident at the Michael Colliery, Fife, have applied for training for other employment; and how many have been offered such training.
§ Mr. HattersleySixteen of these miners have applied for training, none for industrial rehabilitation courses. One has already been accepted; ten are about to discuss their preferences and prospects with the appropriate panel; five are still under consideration.
§ Mr. HamiltonCan my hon. Friend say how many have not applied because they know that they will have to wait a considerable time before they are accepted through the shortage of training facilities, and what extra special steps will be taken by the Department to increase facilities in Scotland generally and in this particular part?
§ Mr. HattersleyLater Questions on the Order Paper deal with the general problem of increasing training programmes. I hope that no miners will be deterred from applying to go to Government training centres because of waiting problems. If they do apply, they may find that the waiting period is nothing like as long as they fear.