To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how his Department intends to increase the training of workers in the private sector.

Training and enterprise councils in England and Wales and local enterprise companies in Scotland will ensure that private sector employers lead Britain's training effort into the 1990s. They will increase employer commitment to training and will use private and public resources. In particular, they will support employers through business growth training.

That answer is astounding. Given that private sector employers are spending less than £4 billion a year directly on training, is it wise for the Government to hand over the control and direction of training to the very people who have shown no interest in training?

The hon. Gentleman is taking a blinkered and inaccurate view. Employers are spending £18 billion on training, not the amount that the hon. Gentleman quoted. The move towards TECs in England and Wales and LECs in Scotland has been widely supported by all sectors of the community.