Mrs. Slater:

asked the Minister of Education what steps are being taken to train technical staff required by local education authorities and joint boards.

Local education authorities employ a wide range of specialists and technicians for which they draw, in common with other employers, on the available supply of trained manpower. If the hon. Member has any particular categories in mind, I will see if I can give her any further information about the educational arrangements for which my Department is responsible.

Mrs. Slater:

While thanking the Parliamentary Secretary for that reply, may I ask whether he is aware that if there is to be very large-scale development in building programmes there must be much more intensive training of technical staff or we shall lag behind with plans and drawings and all kinds of things which are necessary before building can take place? Cannot something be done to step up the provision of this technical staff immediately?

I can assure the hon. Lady that if there are any general shortages or difficulties to which she would like to draw my attention I will look into them. The current five-year programme for the expansion of technical education is designed to secure a significant increase in the output of technicians of all kinds. I can send her a statement of arrangements which have only recently been made to improve the training of industrial draughtsmen and quantity surveyors. If she has any other points in mind, perhaps she will kindly write to me.