§ Mr. Woodhouseasked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will request the Construction Industry Training Board to give the highest priority to schemes for increasing the number of apprentices and others being trained as bricklayers.
§ Mr. Chichester-ClarkThe Construction Industry Training Board is currently operating an award scheme to give initial off-the-job training to 750 boys of apprentice potential in building crafts. 397 places have been allotted to trainee bricklayers of which 370 have currently been taken up. The board has decided nearly to double this scheme in August 1973 but the allocations to the different trades have not yet been decided. The board has also recently appointed a senior member of its training staff to assist the industry with the recruitment and training of apprentices.
My Department is making an important contribution. There are now over 900 places for bricklayers in Government training centres and an additional 370 places are planned by 1975. A further 84 Government-sponsored training places for bricklayers have recently been arranged in employers' establishments and colleges.
§ Mr. Ian Lloydasked the Secretary of State for Employment what information he has on the number of apprentices recruited into the bricklaying trade during the most recent three years for which complete information is available.
§ Mr. Chichester-ClarkI understand that the number of bricklayer apprentices recruited and registered with the National Joint Council for the Building Industry during the last three years are as follows:
Year ended 31st December 1970 … 1,367 Year ended 31st December 1971 … 1,078 Year ended 31st December 1972 … 1,604 Information is not available about the number of apprentice bricklayers not so registered.