§ 7. Mr. Dalyellasked the Secretary of State for Employment if any visit to Motec, Livingston, has been made by a Minister in his Department since 30 July.
§ Mr. Peter MorrisonNo, Sir.
§ Mr. DalyellIn view of the Manpower Services Commission's interest, are the Government prepared to help to keep Motec open over the next 18 months?
§ Mr. MorrisonThe hon. Gentleman will appreciate that he wrote to me three days ago indicating that the MSC was running programmes in the Livingston Motec and asking whether this matter could be taken further. I have forwarded his letter to the chairman of the MSC, so that he knows personally of the hon. Gentleman's feelings.
§ Mr. Barry JonesIn support of the determined advocacy of my hon. Friend the Member for West Lothian (Mr. Dalyell) on behalf of the Livingston motor technology centre, does the Minister accept that the closure of Livingston would go against the objectives of the new training scheme? Has he forgotten that road transport industry apprenticeships have slumped from the 1978 figure of 10,000 to the current figure of 1,000? When will he make a statement on the future of the Road Transport Industry Training Board?
§ Mr. MorrisonAs the hon. Gentleman knows, the future of the Livingston Motec, like that of the High Ercall Motec, is a matter initially for the Road Transport Industry Training Board itself. I made an announcement last Friday that the Road Transport Industry Training Board would remain together for the remaining 18 months.