§ Mr. Prescottasked the Secretary of State for Employment what is the policy of the Training Service Agency with regard to ordering British equipment for use in Government training centres; and whether there are any places to order diving equipment from sources other than the United Kingdom.
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§ Mr. Harold WalkerI am informed by the Manpower Services Commission that the policy of the Training Services Agency in ordering equipment for use in Government training centres is to order British equipment as it is available. Equipment is only ordered from non-British sources when British equipment is not available to meet an urgent training need, or when equipment in use in the trade for which training is being given is not itself of British manufacture and can be obtained only from non-British sources. The quantity of non-British equipment in use in Government centres is less than 5 per cent. of the total. So far as diving equipment is concerned, I understand that in the placing of orders for equipment for the Underwater Training Centre regard will be paid to suitability, efficiency and safety requirements and also to the genera] desirability that British companies should have a full and fair opportunity to compete in this field.