§ 10. Mr. ClaphamTo ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the level of skills in the United Kingdom relative to international competitors.
§ The Minister of State, Treasury (Mr. Anthony Nelson)The competitiveness White Paper made it clear that, although the United Kingdom has world-class skills in some areas, further progress is needed in others. The Government have introduced major reforms to improve outputs from education and training.
§ Mr. ClaphamI am rather surprised by that answer because the Minister will be aware that a great deal more needs to be done. Yesterday, the Trade and Industry Select Committee visited Glasgow, where we spoke to 1062 IBM, Stevensons and Hoover, who told us that they were having extreme difficulty in finding the skilled labour that they required. Britain obviously needs far more skilled labour if we are to compete with our main competitors. What resources will be made available, and over what period of time, to lift skills in Britain to the level of our major competitors?
§ Mr. NelsonThe hon. Gentleman makes a fair point on behalf of the Trade and Industry Select Committee, of which he is a member. This country lags behind some others in technical and intermediary skills, which is why considerable extra resources are being made available through the advanced and apprenticeship schemes, which should provide some 70,000 extra people with national vocational qualifications over the next five years.
§ Miss Emma NicholsonDoes my hon. Friend agree, however, that even the most skilled workers cannot compete and get jobs in a negative industrial environment where minimum wages and social chapter restrictions are the order of the day?
§ Mr. NelsonMy hon. Friend is absolutely right. A minimum wage and social chapter would undoubtedly destroy jobs and diminish training budgets.