HC Deb 22 October 1991 vol 196 cc777-8
1. Mr. Bellingham

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment when he next plans to meet the chairman of Norfolk and Waveney TEC to discuss small firms.

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Employment (Mr. Eric Forth)

My right hon. and learned Friend meets Mr. Lineker regularly at meetings of the group of ten training and enterprise council chairmen. This group of regional representatives of all of the TECs considers the full range of TEC activities, including support for small firms. My right hon. and learned Friend expects to chair the next group meeting in mid-November.

Mr. Bellingham

When my right hon. and learned Friend meets representatives of Norfolk and Waveney TEC he will be told that the TEC regards the youth training scheme as an important priority. Does my hon. Friend agree that every youngster who wants to take a place on YTS should have the opportunity to do so? Does he also agree that, particularly in today's climate, it is crucial that TECs work closely with the enterprise agencies to help small firms? Will he applaud the Norfolk and Waveney TEC's decision to contract out to the enterprise agencies the enterprise allowance scheme?

Mr. Forth

My hon. Friend is correct. The TECs, my hon. Friend's in particular, the Department of Employment and the Government give total and absolute priority to youth training, and it is through the TECs and their excellent work that that guarantee is being delivered. We are giving young people the training that they need.

My hon. Friend also makes an important point about enterprise. TECs are a major part of the Government's continuing effort to encourage enterprise at all levels, particularly small firms which are a strong aspect of my hon. Friend's constituency. They make a decision based on local needs on how much work to give to enterprise agencies. I pay tribute to the work of the enterprise agencies and the TECs and, in particular, the work of my hon. Friend. I am sure that he keeps in the closest touch with his TEC to ensure that it does everything possible for the local community.

Mr. Patrick Thompson

When my hon. Friend meets the chairman of Norfolk and Waveney TEC will he take the opportunity to discuss with him business people's attitudes towards training? Does he agree that it is important that business people and industrialists now set up training initiatives, particularly in engineering, to avoid future skill shortages before the problem arises?

Mr. Forth

Yes. It will be well known to my hon. Friend that the great bulk of training has been, is and will continue to be done in the private sector by employers. However, the TECs have, as one of their main tasks, to identify training needs in each locality and to work with doneemployers to identify how that can best be done, so bringing together the efforts of the Government through TECs and the private sector to deliver the best possible quality of training. That is done, and the new investors in people initiative, launched by my right hon. and learned Friend just a few days ago, is yet another important step in emphasising the importance in the private sector of a continuing training effort, and that will continue to be the case.