§ 17. Mr. John Pageasked the Secretary of State for Employment and Productivity what is the total number of references she has made to the Commission on Industrial Relations to date; and when reports are expected to be available.
§ Mrs. CastleI have made 16 references to the Commission on Industrial Relations so far. The reports on five of these have already been published. Further reports are expected next month.
§ Mr. PageIn view of the rather unproductive rôle of the Commission on Industrial Relations, would the right hon. Lady consider combining it with the 1703 C.I.M., when that body comes into being?
§ Mrs. CastleThe answer to that question is "No", because I do not accept the premise from which the hon. Gentleman started his question. I cannot for one moment accept that the C.I.R. has an unproductive rôle. An extensive programme of work is being worked out for the C.I.R., and the reports that it has already produced have made valuable contributions in the matter of trade union recognition and industrial relations.
§ Mr. McGuireWould my right hon. Friend say what effect the work of the industrial training boards has had on the quality and quantity of men trained?
§ Mrs. CastleThe Question relates not to industrial training but to the work of the Commission on Industrial Relations.