I am grateful for an opportunity to make a brief Intervention. The Treforest skillcentre, in the Constituency of my hon. Friend the Member for Pontypridd (Mr. John), is on the border of my constituency. Mine is a constituency of very high unemployment. Many members of the staff of the Treforest skillcentre, and certainly many of the trainees there, come from my constituency, and there is great concern that an institution that is performing such a useful function in difficult days should be closed. I hasten to add that these days are made more difficult by the policies of the Government. A great deal of benefit was being derived from the skillcentre.

A Manpower Services Commission press release of 23 April pointed out in reference to cuts and redistribution that although skillcentre rationalisation would involve closures, the chairman had said that, overall, the needs of individuals and industry would be better served than before.

That is abject nonsense. It is like a surgeon trying to comfort a patient by telling him that although he has to undergo the amputation of a leg, he will afterwards be able to hobble along more rapidly on crutches than he could when his legs were in good condition.

I could understand the Government going in for cuts and saying that they were not really interested in the problems of unemployment and retraining, but trying to dress up cuts by saying that everyone will be better off is not only nonsense, but dishonest nonsense.