Examination of Witness (Questions 100-103)
MR RANJIT
MATHRANI AND
MR JABEZ
LAM
8 JULY 2008
Q100 Chairman: Mr Mathrani, do you
have any additional comments?
Mr Mathrani: Well, I think the
question of the inter-generational issue obviously does not affect
us, as such, because we are a very professionally managed business,
but, looking across the sector, I think there certainly is an
issue there in relation to the Bangladeshi caterers about how
that can be resolved, but the extent to which the points-based
system can be used, that really is another set of issues.
Q101 Margaret Moran: Have you actually
done enough to anticipate this problem? Should you not have been
looking to invest in the generation that you have just referred
to? Should you not have been establishing training mechanisms
to increase their qualifications and perhaps providing them with
high-profile mentors? We have got the Gordon Ramsays and the Jamie
Olivers, and Jamie Oliver is mentoring a generation of young people
that perhaps did not have so many educational qualifications.
Are you not just talking about a problem of your own making that
you are now seeking to have the Government address for you through
the immigration system?
Mr Lam: I think with any industry,
the Government has a responsibility to ensure a healthy supply
of workforce. For example, in nursing, the Government every year
will have a projection of how large an intake, how many potential
graduates there are compared to the vacancies and it is in the
anticipation of those that we have witnessed the NHS recruiting
from overseas. My advice is that I believe that the Chinese community
has done a lot in the last 50 years in this country to establish
themselves as the foundation of the Chinese community's economic
force in that they train their own people, they train their own
staff with absolutely no support from the Government at all. The
question is: how are we going to turn this practice of practical,
on-the-job training into a more formal qualification, which is
what the points-based system addresses? I believe that it is time
and in recent months, during the process producing the response
to the Migration Advisory Committee, we have worked with People
First closely and the industry and we have identified ways to
go forward by providing proper courses, a developed process that
is appropriate for Chinese catering to start with, and these would
be resourced in co-ordination with the Government and the Chinese
community would like to work with the Government to make that
possible.
Q102 Chairman: Mr Mathrani, on the
final point, why have you not done enough and where are your academies?
Mr Mathrani: Well, I think it
comes back in a way to the question of training. I think in every
part of the world training and education starts off with the Government
itself playing its own part and seeking then a contribution from
the industry groups in the sectors. If you look at, for example,
the catering colleges in Britain, there are very few of them with
ethnic courses. We believe that it is not practical for private
employers to take on themselves the burden of creating all of
these courses single-handedly. Looking ahead, I think that certainly,
going back to earlier remarks, we are happy to play our part in
that, but these things do require a government contribution and
government funding. Also, it would be many years before they can
actually show fruit in terms of their effect on the sector, but
it will come through and hopefully come through, but that will
not of course by itself solve the problem, as I mentioned before,
of continuing for people at the top tier.
Q103 Chairman: But going back to
what Mr Winnick said, are you seriously telling us that, if this
system goes through, the top end of the market, restaurants like
Veeraswamy, Chutney Mary, Quinlan, the Red Fort and the Gaylord,
all these top restaurants in London, and, as far as the Chinese
restaurants are concerned, the Royal China, will all close because
the chefs just will not come?
Mr Mathrani: They will eventually
close over time with attrition because they cannot replace them
and that is inevitable. We are certainly growing at a rate of
two or three restaurants a year in London and we will always only
have that expansion hope until we see what happens to sort it
out. Going back to the earlier question addressed by the first
witness, in this area of highly specialised cuisine, market forces
cannot work in the sense that it does not matter what you pay
someone, and you can pay them £50,000 a year to be a cook,
apart from destroying the economics of the business, you are not
going to produce high-quality Indian or Chinese chefs out of British
soil, so yes, we will close over time.
Mr Lam: I think I can confirm
the reference you made that the Royal China is an international
phrase for Chinese fine-dining and the restaurant is our member,
and recently they have stated to us that the directors of the
Board have made the decision not to invest in any further expansion
in this country because of the problem of the labour shortage.
Chairman: Well, Mr Russell will now go
off for his fish and chips, and the rest of us are very, very
hungry, having heard a lot about Chinese and Indian food, so we
will go to the Members' tearoom to see what they have on offer!
Thank you very much.
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