§ 5. Mr. Kenneth Carlisleasked the Secretary of State for Employment whether, following the reorganisation of skillcentres, more training will be provided locally where the skills are needed.
§ Mr. Peter MorrisonYes, Sir. For example, we plan that in Lincolnshire the number of people being trained will more than double next year.
§ Mr. CarlisleI welcome that news, but does my hon. Friend accept that it is important to make good training available where people live and work and that effective training is an essential arm in the battle against unemployment? In organising this substantial expansion, will he consult locally to ensure that training really meets local needs?
§ Mr. MorrisonI assure my hon. Friend that the greatly increased number of places that will be available for adult training and retraining will involve local consultation with industrialists and trade unions. I am delighted to see from the Labour party document that the Opposition also want a big expansion. Their problem is that that great expansion cannot be achieved without the reorganisation of the skillcentre network.
Mr. EastmanIs the hon. Gentleman aware that the Select Committee on Employment has been pursuing an extended inquiry into skill shortages and has found that the Confederation of British Industry is not playing its part in providing funding and skills training compared with the position in Germany and America? When will the Government put pressure on the CBI to spend some money on providing the skills that it needs?
§ Mr. MorrisonI have made it clear, not just to the CBI but to all employers, that it is principally their duty to provide funding for training. I shall continue to reinforce that message. I am glad that the hon. Gentleman joins me in that.
§ Mr. WhitfieldDoes my hon. Friend agree that the chambers of commerce have an important part to play in the provision of training? Does he further agree that the Kirklees and Wakefield chamber of commerce is to be commended on the fact that it has its own training company which has provided no fewer than 800 places in that area? Should not other chambers of commerce be encouraged to do likewise?
§ Mr. MorrisonI am aware that that particular chamber of commerce plays a significant part in new training schemes, as do others throughout the country. That achievement certainly deserves congratulation and encouragement.
§ Mr. ColvinWill my hon. Friend confirm that in the reorganisation each skillcentre will be dealt with on merit? If so, should not the Millbrook annex which serves my constituency, come off his hit list, first, because it is full, secondly, because it offers today's rather than yesterday's skills, and, thirdly, because it is extremely well supported by local industry?
§ Mr. MorrisonMy hon. Friend and others came to see me about this matter. As my hon. Friend knows, officials of the Manpower Services Commission and the Skillcentre Training Agency are discussing with local employers the position with regard to that particular annex.