§ 9. Mr. Peter Millsasked the Secretary of State for Employment and Productivity whether he will take steps to encourage children in the Bideford area of North Devon to enter local industry.
§ The Under-Secretary of State for Employment and Productivity (Mr. Dudley Smith)School leavers in the Bideford 1699 area of North Devon receive full advice and information from the Youth Employment Service about the range of employment opportunities which exist in local industry and this policy will be maintained.
§ Mr. MillsDoes my hon. Friend realise how difficult it is to encourage young people to go into industry in an area in which there have been no new factories in the past? Will he encourage day-release classes from schools so that they can at least go into industry to see what it is all about?
§ Mr. SmithI agree that that is one of the points that should be considered. But last month there were 205 unfilled vacancies in the Bideford area, and we expect that the majority will be filled, so the situation is not quite as grave as it might appear.