§ Mr. Harold Walkerasked the Secretary of State for Employment what representations he has received, and from whom, for the establishment of a new statutory industrial training board to cater for the manpower requirements of the offshore oil industry.
§ Mr. Peter MorrisonFollowing publication of the Manpower Services Commission's document "A Framework for the Future", the United Kingdom Offshore 329W Operators' Association wrote to me in September requesting that statutory training arrangements should be retained for its sector. The Petroleum Industry Training Board also expressed support for this proposal.
§ Mr. Harold Walkerasked the Secretary of State for Employment how many work permits are currently in issue for workers employed in the offshore oil industry; and for which categories of employment.
§ Mr. Peter MorrisonI regret the information in the form requested is not available, except at disproportionate cost.
§ Mr. Harold Walkerasked the Secretary of State for Employment if he has made any assessment of future requirements for the offshore oil industry of trained divers; and what provision there will be for such divers to obtain their training and certification of competence.
§ Mr. Peter MorrisonI have no reason to believe that there will be any significant change in the demand for divers in the foreseeable future. It is for the diving industry to ensure that there are satisfactory arrangements for training divers to meet the required standards.