Sector Working Parties (Hansard, 11 December 1978)

§ 12. Mr. Hal Miller
asked the Secretary of State for Industry what progress he has to report on the results of the sector working parties; and if he will make a statement.

§ The Under-Secretary of State for Industry (Mr. Les Huckfield)
The sector working parties are working well. They are currently finalising their end-year reports for 1978, which will be presented to the National Economic Development Council in February next year.

§ Mr. Miller
As the tripartite group on the motor industry last issued a statement in July 1976, will the hon. Gentleman arrange for a further statement on its work to be put in the Library? Can he now tell us the extent of the success that the Government have had in following op the commitment entered into, as reported in that statement?

§ Mr. Huckfield
I am glad that the hon. Gentleman pays tribute to the work of my right hon. Friend's tripartite working party on the car industry. I shall put his suggestion to my right hon. Friend about some kind of report, but I assure him that the working party is still working and doing good work.

§ Mr. Madden
Can my hon. Friend say which sector working parties have made any recommendations relating to import substitution, and what action his Department is taking upon such recommendations?

§ Mr. Huckfield
I am grateful to my hon. Friend for the interest that he has shown in the sector working parties. Not only have many of them made recommendations but they have actually started acting on them. For example; there is the clothing and distributive trades economic development council, which is the sort of working party that my hon. Friend will accept. It has in being a system whereby agents have been identifying imported garments and bringing them to the attention of United Kingdom manufacturers. We know of at least one £50,000 import contract which has been switched to this country as a result of that kind of work. There are other examples.

§ Mr. Kenneth Clarke
Will the hon. Gentleman confirm that the overwhelming advice of these working parties concerns the need to keep up the profitability of British industry to encourage investment and to reduce the rates of direct taxation, so that people can keep more of the rewards for hard work? Is he aware that until these two things are achieved the Government's industrial strategy is a waste of time?

§ Mr. Huckfield
I do not think that the hon. Gentleman is really in touch with what is going on. I urge him to look at the recommendations of the sector working parties. For example, the computer sector working party has set up a training scheme for school leavers, the iron and steel sector working party has formed the basis of much of our communication and contact with Commissioner Davignon, the rubber-processing sector working party has produced the basis of a first-class agreement between management and unions for increasing productivity, and the mechanical handling sector working 12 party has got companies in conveyor manufacturing to establish overseas market offices. Indeed, there is a wide range of recommendations made by sector working parties which are not as simple or as naive as the hon. Gentleman thinks.