§ Mr. Patrick Jenkinasked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will announce a new target date for the achievement of the Robin Birch working party's target for social work training in place of the mid-1980s target which has been put aside.
§ Mr. EnnalsIt would be premature to propose new targets. For the certificate of Qualification in Social Work, the intake to courses increased by about 7 per cent. in both 1976 and 1977, compared with the annual increase of 5 per cent. envisaged by the Birch working party. Courses leading to the new Certificate of Social Services have taken longer to establish than the working party had hoped, but 14 schemes are in operation; 2 more are being set up this year and others are being arranged. This form of training is now becoming established and should develop more rapidly in the future, but it is too early to assess when the recommended target intake will be reached.