Hotel and Catering Industry (Hansard, 29 March 1979)

§ Mr. John Grant

In reply to a question from my hon. Friend the Member for308W Brigg and Scunthorpe (Mr. Ellis) on 13 December 1978, I announced that the special arrangements for the issue of work permits to the hotel and catering industry would end on 30 March 1979, after which date permits would be available only for work at skill standards compatible with those of the work permit scheme in general and for workers who meet those standards.

In determining the appropriate skills standards, both sides of the industry have been consulted and their views taken into account. Only highly skilled and experienced workers for senior posts in hotel and catering establishments, i.e. hotel/ restaurant manager, chef, highly skilled waiting staff and head receptionist, have been identified as compatible with the standards of the general work permit scheme. The overseas worker must have successfully completed appropriate full-time training courses of at least two years' duration at approved schools abroad or, exceptionally, have acquired other specialised or uncommon skills and experience relevant to the industry.

I have also taken into account the changing requirements of the industry arising from developments in food preparation and the type of service offered the wider opportunities available for training in hotel and catering occupations from basic catering courses through to degree courses in management and food technology: initiatives of the careers service and of the hotel and catering industry training board to improve the image of the industry through careers literature and talks to school leavers and their parents and to adult job-changers, and the assurance of the Manpower Services Commission that the home industry has the capacity to train sufficient people to meet its needs. In these circumstances work permits will be issued only for the most highly skilled jobs in the industry generally, either because of a genuine shortage of such skills here or because of the international nature of parts of the industry. Responsibility for the training and control of staff is regarded as an essential criterion for the issue of a work permit.

For work which does not meet the required skill standards, employers are expected to recruit and, where necessary, train indigenous workers or workers from overseas who have settled here.