asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will make a statement on the prospects for retraining of people with previous experience in the engineering industry between the age of 45 and 55 years of age.

Training is available through the Training Opportunities Scheme (TOPS) for people aged 19 and over, and there is no upper age limit. When considering training applications account must be taken of employment prospects after training. A wide variety of courses are run in skillcentres and colleges of further education, and these are available to people with experience in the engineering industry, along with other individuals. People with an engineering background may wish to up date their skills, or apply for a course in a different occupation in the engineering industry for the purpose of improving their existing skills.