HC Deb 14 April 1965 vol 710 cc217-8W
Mr. A. J. Williams

asked the Minister of Labour what financial assistance he will give to industrial training boards.

Mr. Gunter

Under the power given me by Section 5(1) of the Industrial Training Act, 1964, I have decided to make grants to Boards:—

  1. (1) to meet the whole of a Board's administrative expenses (including the cost of essential furniture and office equipment for the first twelve months of its existence;
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  2. (2) to reimburse 25 pen cent. of current expenditure incurred by a Board in connection with the provision of training course for training officers, training supervisors and instructors. Because of the urgency of the need for more trained persons of these kinds, I propose to increase the rate of grant under this head to 50 pen cent. of expenditure months from the date on which a Board is established;
  3. (3) to meet 50 pen cent. of the cost of research undertaken or sponsored by a Board. This will include projects undertaken to try our new methods of training;
  4. (4) to make a contribution towards the cost of the first two periods of industrial training forming part of sandwich courses leading to a degree of a technological university or an award of the Council for National Diploma, started within three years beginning September, 1965;
  5. (5) to meet for a period of five years, 25 per cent. of the current expenses (excluding the wages of trainees) or additional places provided for "off the job" training.

I am prepared to consider grant-aiding other projects undertaken or sponsored by Boards in order to improve and extend training.

Grants are conditional upon my approval of a Board's estimates of relevant expenditure, and will be subject to maxima agreed in the light of these estimates.

I am also prepared to consider applications from Boards for loans to help them to acquire any necessary fixed assets, such as buildings or machines, or to provide working capital.

All these arrangements are subject to review in the light of experience.