§ Mr. Urwinasked the Minister of Labour what assessment he has made of the number of redundancies likely to occur in the mining industry within the constituency of Houghton-le-Spring; what steps he proposes to take to provide additional opportunities for retraining of displaced personnel; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. FernyhoughI am not aware of any impending coal mining redundancies in the Houghton-le-Spring constituency although some may occur when salvage work at Ryhope Colliery on which 62 men are employed is completed.
Redeployment of redundant miners can be assisted by the Ministry's industrial rehabilitation service, including the new unit at Billingham-on-Tees which opened on 1st May, 1967. Those who want and are suitable for training for skill may obtain it at the Government Training Centre at Felling-on-Tyne, at the Finchale Abbey Training Centre for the Disabled (which provides a special course in machine operating for disabled ex-miners), or elsewhere.