HC Deb 03 December 1974 vol 882 cc1342-3
15. Mr. Dempsey

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will make available training facilities for unemployed girl school leavers in Scotland.

Mr. Harold Walker

I am advised by the Manpower Services Commission that the main responsibility for the training of school leavers rests with industry and the education services. The demand for training among girl school leavers in Scotland does not suggest that there is a need for additional training facilities at the present time. The Training Services Agency already provides short industrial courses for young people and has introduced experimental courses for those who need help to develop their capacity and potential.

Mr. Dempsey

Is my hon. Friend aware that hundreds of young girls who will leave school in North Lanarkshire at Christmas will have little prospect of employment, and that there are no training facilities for them? Coatbridge has one of the finest training establishments in the country and it is considerably under-occupied. Does my hon. Friend think that some training should be given to these school leavers, rather than have them idling their young lives away?

Mr. Walker

The position in North Lanarkshire is substantially better than it was at the start of the year. In January, 305 girls registered as unemployed. That figure has now been reduced to 182. There are training facilities available. There are, for example, the wider opportunities courses that have been mounted in certain areas, including Scotland, with the aim of helping young people. Unfortunately, we have not received any applications from girls for such courses. My hon. Friend will also bear in mind that the primary responsibility for seeking employment for school leavers rests with my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Scotland.