§ 2.41 p.m.
Baroness VICKERSMy 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 encouragement is given to school-leavers to take up careers in agriculture and horticulture and what are the arrangements for their training.
Lord WALLACE of COSLANYMy Lords, the Careers Service aims to present the widest possible range of careers to children. Careers programmes in schools commonly include talks, films, and visits to places of employment in agriculture and horticulture. Excellent booklets and wall charts are available in the school libraries. Boys and girls who are suitable for, and interested in, agriculture or horticulture are encouraged to take advantage of available opportunities. Training is by way of apprenticeship under conditions administered and supervised by the Agricultural Training Board or by full-time and sandwich courses leading to the Ordinary or Higher National Diploma, National Certificate or degree courses in agriculture.
Baroness VICKERSMy Lords, I thank the noble Lord for that reply. How many vacancies are there in these two industries, and what is the number of young people who have recently gone into them? In view of the fact that the Government are shortly to print a new version of Food from our own Resources, 6 will the noble Lord include a special chapter in it pointing out the advisability for young people to take up this career?
Lord WALLACE of COSLANYMy Lords, perhaps I could first reply to the latter question asked by the noble Baroness. Most certainly I shall ensure that the information is passed on to the responsible Department, which of course is not the Department of Employment. I cannot readily, without notice, give the number of vacancies. However, I would draw the attention of the noble Baroness, Lady Vickers, and noble Lords to the fact that there is an increasingly wide choice of careers in the world of agriculture. In 1977–78 over 500 non-advanced and advanced courses which are run by the Department of Education and Science are listed, compared with 272 in 1967–68 when the first edition of the booklet was published.
§ Lord LEATHERLANDMy Lords, does not my noble friend think that more young people would go in for agriculture if the pay was better?
Lord WALLACE of COSLANYMy Lords, it entirely depends into what section of agriculture a young person goes and on the qualifications of the person concerned. There are some well-paid posts for well-qualified people, but the rate of wages for agricultural workers generally is a matter for negotiation by the responsible unions. Of course, it has been said in the past that one reason for the drift from the land is low pay, but I do not think that that necessarily applies today.
§ The Earl of ONSLOWMy Lords, as the Government are encouraging ICI to increase its fertiliser costs, how can that not reduce the pay to agricultural workers and thus make their jobs less attractive to school-leavers?
Lord WALLACE of COSLANYMy Lords, with due respect to the noble Earl, that is an entirely different question.
§ Lord MACKIE of BENSHIEMy Lords, does the noble Lord appreciate that we employ the smallest percentage of people in Europe on the land, aid that in farming we receive the lowest return in Europe? Does he agree that in Germany 1 million more people are employed on the 7 land and that from less arable land they produce much more of their food than we produce for ourselves here? Does the Minister agree that there is some relationship between the return to farming generally, the small number of people employed in it and the increasing use of so-called labour-saving weedkillers in this country, the long-term results of which we know nothing about? Does he not perhaps agree that some revaluation of the Green Pound might make more jobs available for school-leavers?
Lord WALLACE of COSLANYMy Lords, having done a certain amount of backaching weeding this weekend, I am all in favour of an efficient weedkiller. Many of the noble Lord's questions do not come within the province of the Department for which I am answering, which is the Department of Employment. I would suggest that, taken by and large, British agriculture is far more efficient than that of many other countries, even in Europe.
§ Baroness EMMET of AMBERLEYMy Lords, as well as encouraging young people to go in for agriculture, would the noble Lord encourage them to go in for aquaculture? And what facilities are available for that?