§ Sir M. Galpernasked the Secretary of State for Scotland (1) how many assistant foresters in Scotland have resigned from the Forestry Commission 472W during the past eight years; and what has caused this wastage;
(2) what steps are being taken to deal with causes of wastage of assistant foresters in the service of the Forestry Commission.
§ Mr. NobleForty-six Assistant Foresters resigned in Scotland during the last eight years. In 21 cases no reason for resigning or indication of proposed future employment was given. Sixteen went to jobs in forestry either at home or abroad.
The recommendation in the 7th Report of the Estimates Committee which has just been published that close attention should be given to the causes of the wastage of trained foresters will have to be fully considered, and observations on it will be submitted in due course; but at this stage any assessment of the causes and of their cure could only be conjectural.
§ Sir M. Galpernasked the Secretary of State for Scotland how many forestry training schools there are in Scotland; what is the current number of people in training; and what is the average cost per student for training and maintenance during the normal course.
§ Mr. NobleWhen the new term opens next September there will be a total of 42 students in training at the two forester training schools in Scotland. On average it now costs about £1,550 per student for training and maintenance during the normal two year course at the Scottish schools. One of the schools will be closed next year.