§ Mr. Bryant Godman Irvineasked the Secretary of State for Employment what sections or agencies exist in his Department for collecting information from, or giving advice and assistance to, private sector industry.
§ Mr. Dudley SmithThe following services are offered by the Department of204W Employment to assist and advise industry, including the private sector:
Employment services, including the Professional and Executive Register, and the provision of special job teams to deal with large redundancies.The Manpower and Productivity Service which provides conciliation in industrial disputes and advice to industry on industrial relations and related manpower questions.Training and rehabilitation services including Training Within Industry, instructor training courses and the provision of courses, including training sponsored by employers, in Government Training Centres, and special training assistance for firms in Development and Intermediate areas.Advice from H.M. Factory Inspectorate on health and safety at work, and from the Wages Inspectorate on statutory wages regulations.I am sending my hon. Friend a booklet about these services, all of which obtain information from private sector industry in the course of their work. Information is also obtained in connection with the administration of unemployment benefit and for purposes of pay policy. My Department also provides a statistical service based partly on returns from private sector employers.
In addition, the Office of Manpower Economics, whose formation my right hon. Friend announced to the House on 2nd November last, collects information from industry for the purposes outlined in the original announcement.