The case of the elusive levy

According to a publication of the DEP, the Industrial Training Act 1964 has three main objectives: to • ensure an adequate supply of properly trained men and women at all levels in industry • to secure an improvement in the quality and efficiency of industrial training • to share the cost more evenly between firms. At least, that was its view but during Mrs Castle's tenure as First Secretary of that Ministry, a new Bill was published which clearly indicated a shift in direction of training legislation as then proposed. That Bill, which apparently is now on ice for the time being, purported to extend the benefits of training beyond the original area and even to self‐employed persons. The workings of the ITBs themselves also indicates that wider fields are contemplated and, indeed, until the House of Lords decision in the RAC case, it seems that they were already working beyond the limits of what are normally considered industrial and commercial areas: eg in the school meals service.