HL Deb 22 November 1966 vol 278 cc120-1

2.38 p.m.

LORD ABERDARE

My Lords, I beg leave to ask the Question which stands in my name on the Order Paper.

[The Question was as follows:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have for the expansion of retraining facilities in Wales.]

LORD CHAMPION

My Lords, there are two Government training centres in Wales: one at Cardiff with 306 training places and the other at Llanelly with 189 training places. Under the current expansion programme a further 60 places will be provided at Cardiff by February, 1967, and a further 22 places will be provided at Llanelly next year—10 by February and 12 by mid-1967. My right honourable friend the Minister of Labour said on October 24 in another place that he is already considering a further programme of substantial expansion of the Government training centres.

LORD ABERDARE

My Lords, I am grateful for that Answer from the noble Lord, which is slightly encouraging, but I would ask him whether he is aware that the President of the Confederation of British Industry, who no doubt was aware of these forthcoming increases, recently said that these would not be able to meet future demands and that it was absolutely essential that these retraining facilities should be greatly increased. Would the noble Lord not agree that, with the further closing of the coalmines, the decline in manpower in the steel industry and the rising unemployment in Wales, it is extremely urgent that really radical increases should be made?

LORD CHAMPION

My Lords, I agree with the noble Lord. We certainly do want this fairly rapid expansion, and that is why the Minister of Labour answered in the terms that he did on October 24. But here again it is a matter of not being able to do things in a great hurry. Preparations have to be made, the buildings have to be there, the people have to be trained who are in turn to train others. So we cannot expect a rapid explosion in this expansion, but we certainly agree that we need it.

LORD BYERS

My Lords, does not what the noble Lord has said prove that there was no contingency planning in July of this year for such things as retraining which are absolutely basic to an incomes and prices policy?

LORD CHAMPION

My Lords, I would not agree with that. Perhaps I shall have to debate this with the noble Lord on his Motion which is down for December 7.

LORD BRECON

My Lords, would the noble Lord not agree that both Cardiff and Llanelly were provided for by the previous Administration and that since this Government have been in office there has been no dynamic action at all in providing more training centres, and in particular nothing has been done in North Wales?

LORD CHAMPION

My Lords, I agree about Llanelly, but I am not too sure about the centre at Cardiff, which has been in being since 1945. I am not too sure who was responsible for that, but I should imagine it was the Coalition Government.

LORD BRECON

My Lords, I would add that it was moved from where it was to a much larger and more extensive place under the last Administration.