HC Deb 27 February 1973 vol 851 cc1260-1
5. Mr. Milne

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will give details of the projects organised under the aupices of Community Industry in the Blyth constituency, the Northern Region and other areas of the country; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Dudley Smith

Altogether Community Industry has undertaken 197 projects including 86 in Northern Region and one in the Blyth constituency. I recently announced the Government's decision to increase the support for the Community Industry Scheme.

Mr. Milne

Is the Minister aware that this is a welcome development and that even further expansion is needed—not that we are ungrateful for the increased support that has been made available? Will he consider linking this scheme with the Government training centres? If the excellent training facilities given by Community Industry are passed on to the Government training centres this will help to combat youth unemployment in the region, which is one of our main problems.

Mr. Smith

I am grateful for what the hon. Gentleman says and I shall be happy to look at his suggestion. The scheme was never seen as a means of combating unemployment, important as that is. The scheme is a means of assisting individual young people with special employment problems. It is doing good work, and the increase is generous and realistic. I am glad that the increased support has been welcomed by those who have organised the scheme, including the director who has written in favourable terms to my right hon. Friend.

Mr. Charles Morrison

I congratulate my hon. Friend on increasing the support to enable Community Industry to provide more than three times its existing number of places. Will he undertake to look sympathetically at any request that might come from the organisers of Community Industry if it is able to provide work opportunities for even more than the 2,000 places already provided?

Mr. Smith

Yes, Sir. This matter will be kept constantly under review. We shall see how it goes. The initial scheme was a pilot one, we are satisfied that it is working well and this is a further expansion. We shall certainly look at it again in due course. In addition we shall look at the areas which have expressed interest in the scheme and are prepared to undertake it. About 40 local authorities have recently been in touch with us about it.