§ 9. Mr. Ron Daviesasked the Secretary of State for Wales what is the number of people covered by the Government's special employment and training measures in Mid-Glamorgan.
§ Mr. John Stradling ThomasThe total for the county is 7,112, excluding the enterprise allowance scheme, for which there is no separate figure for Mid-Glamorgan.
§ Mr. DaviesIs the Minister aware that officials of the Manpower Services Commission are now directly involving themselves in the administration of the youth training scheme in Mid-Glamorgan? Does he approve of the practice increasingly adopted by those officials of giving the Mid-Glamorgan county council directions about which schemes to reduce, which mode B places to remove and which members of staff to sack? Can the Minister say whether this practice is based on a statement of policy or whether the MSC officials in Wales are conducting their affairs as they see fit?
§ Mr. Stradling ThomasI would hope that the Mid-Glamorgan authority and the MSC officials would act in close co-operation to achieve the best results obtainable.
§ Mr. RowlandsGiven the increasing importance of the MSC, should not responsibility for both the programme and the budget of the MSC in Wales be given to the Secretary of State for Wales, so that if there were underspends or differences of emphasis he could adjust the budget and the programme to suit the needs of Wales? At the moment it appears to be the Department of Employment, on a national level, which is in control.
§ Mr. Stradling ThomasWe work in the closest co-operation with the Department of Employment. We have our own MSC committee for Wales with direct access, through Ministers, to the Department of Employment and to the MSC in Sheffield.