Oral Answers to Questions — Local Government – in the House of Commons at 12:00 am on 21 January 1964.
Mr James Boyden
, Bishop Auckland
12:00,
21 January 1964
asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government and Minister for Welsh Affairs how many local authorities organise training schemes involving clay release for their industrial employees under 18.
Mr Frederick Corfield
, Gloucestershire South
No figures are available. I understand that apprenticeship schemes are widely supported in local government and that the nationally agreed conditions of service for industrial employees provide for a full range of training facilities, including financial assistance and day release.
Mr James Boyden
, Bishop Auckland
May I ask the Minister whether he recollects that last week he said that he was working on the survey of 1960 in relation to clerical workers? Does not the Minister think that he ought to get the figures up to date so that his Department knows what is going on, and so that he can encourage and develop schemes with the laggard authorities? I agree that they are not in the Majority, but those that are bad ought to be pulled up to the standard of the best.
Mr Frederick Corfield
, Gloucestershire South
The hon. Gentleman should not assume that any figures given are based on the same report of the same date.
Mr. Hoyden:
asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government and Minister for Welsh Affairs if he will list the local authorities which have officers engaged full time in organising training for their council's employees.
Mr Frederick Corfield
, Gloucestershire South
This information is not available. Local authorities organise staff training in the way that best meets their own needs and those of their employees.
Mr James Boyden
, Bishop Auckland
May I ask the Minister whether it is possible for a big county council, or a big county borough, to organise training properly unless it has a training officer? Will the Minister consider extending the functions of his own training officers in his Department by adding staff to stimulate this sort of development?
Mr Frederick Corfield
, Gloucestershire South
I shall certainly consider any suggestions made, but I think that the hon. Gentleman really takes the wrong examples. The big authorities are in a better position to organise training. It is in the smaller authorities that difficulties are likely to arise
Ministers make up the Government and almost all are members of the House of Lords or the House of Commons. There are three main types of Minister. Departmental Ministers are in charge of Government Departments. The Government is divided into different Departments which have responsibilities for different areas. For example the Treasury is in charge of Government spending. Departmental Ministers in the Cabinet are generally called 'Secretary of State' but some have special titles such as Chancellor of the Exchequer. Ministers of State and Junior Ministers assist the ministers in charge of the department. They normally have responsibility for a particular area within the department and are sometimes given a title that reflects this - for example Minister of Transport.
The term "majority" is used in two ways in Parliament. Firstly a Government cannot operate effectively unless it can command a majority in the House of Commons - a majority means winning more than 50% of the votes in a division. Should a Government fail to hold the confidence of the House, it has to hold a General Election. Secondly the term can also be used in an election, where it refers to the margin which the candidate with the most votes has over the candidate coming second. To win a seat a candidate need only have a majority of 1.
