§ Mr. Bishopasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science to what extent teacher training colleges are overcrowded, having regard to the total number of places compared with the total number of teachers receiving training; and what plans he has for further expansion.
§ Mr. CroslandThe expansion plans now being carried out by the colleges involve both the more intensive use of college teaching facilities and the building of additional accommodation of other kinds needed for the increased student numbers. The colleges have made great efforts to raise their intakes these last few years, and many of them have substantially increased their numbers in advance of completion of the building work authorised for their expansion plans. It is not possible to make any national assessment of the amount of intensive use 287W of existing facilities that these efforts have involved.
The Government announced in February last their decision to increase teacher training places in England and Wales to 111,000 by 1973–74. This will require considerable capital expenditure over the next few years but, more immediately, I am looking forward to a significant expansion of student numbers as a result of my appeal to the colleges last July to make appropriate arrangements to increase their output of trained teachers through the more productive use of college facilities.
ESTIMATED NUMBERS OF EMPLOYEES (EMPLOYED AND UNEMPLOYED) IN THE AREAS OF EMPLOYMENT EXCHANGES IN MONTGOMERYSHIRE Mid-1963 Mid-1964* Males Females Total Males Females Total Machynlleth … 1,130 620 1,750 1,120 580 1,700 Newtown … 2,880 1,730 4,610 3,130 1,720 4,850 Welshpool … 3,470 1,740 5,210 3,450 1,810 5,260 Total-Montgomeryshire … 7,480 4,090 11,570 7,700 4,110 11,810 * Latest available.
NUMBERS OF PERSONS REGISTERED AS UNEMPLOYED AT THE MACHYNLLETH, NEWTOWN AND WELSHPOOL EMPLOYMENT EXCHANGES AND THE NEWTOWN YOUTH EMPLOYMENT OFFICE AT OCTOBER, 1963, 1964 AND 1965 Males Females Total Percentage rate 14th October, 1963 Machynlleth … … … 34 25 59 3.3 Newtown … … … 114 57 171 3.6 Welshpool … … … 82 21 103 2.0 Total-Montgomeryshire … … … 230 103 333 2.9 12th October, 1964 Machynlleth … … … 24 17 41 2.3 Newtown … … … 79 43 122 2.6 Welshpool … … … 61 15 76 1.5 Total-Montgomeryshire … … … 164 75 239 2.0 11th October, 1965 Machynlleth … … … 30 17 47 2.8 Newtown … … … 71 27 98 2.0 Welshpool … … … 56 15 71 1.4 Total-Montgomeryshire … … … 157 59 216 1.8