§ Mr. Don FosterTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many train drivers(a)are working in the industry, (b)are being trained, (c)have been trained since November 1998, (d)have been trained and have begun working in the industry since November 1998 and (e)have left the rail industry since November 1998. [45422]
§ John HealeyThe employment of drivers and their training is the responsibility of train operating companies. The Progress Report on Delivering the Framework for Skills in the Rail Industry, published in December 2001, shows that in July 2001 there were 19,000 train drivers working in the industry. Government do not hold information on the training of drivers and their turnover rates centrally. To collect the information could be achieved only by incurring disproportionate cost.