§ Mr. Beanasked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will issue a progress report on his talks with the construction industry on the Construction Industry Manpower Board package of proposals; and how long these talks are expected to take before any conclusions are reached.
§ Mr. FreesonI have had discussions with the TUC and with employers' representatives. We agreed that the CIMB's proposals for three registers of employers will be adopted. Those for building and civil engineering will be set up and administered by the joint industrial councils for those sectors; with no such council in the specialist sub-contracting sector, the CIMB will take the lead in working towards an acceptable solution. The board will continue in its advisory role for at least a further 12 months. It will assist in launching the scheme by establishing registration criteria, thus ensuring a consistent approach on all registers, and by monitoring progress.
As a general rule, registration will apply to those sectors of the industry included within the scope of the Construction Industry Training Board. The initiative now lies with the industry. I look forward to a registration scheme being in operation by this time next year.