§ Mr. Carter-Jonesasked the Secretary of State for Employment if he is satisfied with the consultations between voluntary organisations and the various boards of the Manpower Services Commission; and if he will make a statement on the correspondence which he has received from the hon. Member for Eccles.
§ Mr. GoldingThe area boards of the Manpower Services Commission were established after extensive consultations and with the Government's full support to represent the interests principally involved in the new special programmes. The boards have now held their first meetings. There is a representative of the voluntary sector on each board, appointed by MSC after consulting voluntary organisations in the area. These organisations have agreed a representative in all cases except Greater Manchester, where fresh steps are being taken to establish nominations agreed by all interested voluntary organisations which they will put forward by mid-May. I am assured that the MSC will give the most favourable consideration to any recommendation which may accompany the nominations.
While it is too early to arrive at a firm judgment, I attach great importance to effective consultation between area boards and the various interests, including voluntary organisations, involved in the development of the special programmes. I shall watch carefully the development of such consultations and in particular I expect the numerous groups which have been set up at a more local level to provide a particularly effective channel of communication between voluntary organisations and area boards.
I shall shortly be replying in more detail to the corespondence which I have 400W received from my hon. Friend the Member for Eccles.