Shotton and Deeside

HC Deb 13 February 1983 vol 54 cc7-8

6. Mr. Raffan

asked the Secretary of State for Wales how many new jobs were created in the Shotton and Deeside travel-to-work areas, respectively, during the last 12 months as a direct result of selective financial assistance, the allocation of Government factories and urban development grant.

Mr. Nicholas Edwards

Between 1 January and 31 December 1983 projects in the Shotton travel-to-work area for which offers of selective financial assistance were accepted or which were allocated Government-financed factory space promise 930 jobs.

Mr. Raffan

Does my right hon. Friend agree that the good progress being made in job creation will be completely undermined if Clwyd county council proceeds with its proposed 24p—16 per cent.—rate increase? Is he aware that Courtauld's Greenfield mill in my constituency has said that it cannot pay its increased £56,000 bill without making 10 or 11 men redundant? If the hon. Member for Alyn and Deeside (Mr. Jones) is to retain a shred of credibility as Labour's chief spokesman for Wales, is it not time that he came down off the fence and condemned outright a rate increase that will destroy jobs?

Mr. Edwards

As many Opposition Members have said that rate increases are of little or no significance to industry, we are entitled to listen to what Mr. Davies, the head of Courtauld's Greenfield mill, has to say. He says that the mill has undertaken an enormous amount of hard work recently, and in addition: We are not in profit, we are breaking even and I am now going to find my manufacturing costs increasing between £50,000 and £60,000.

Mr. Barry Jones

Although I welcome every prospect of new jobs in the Clwyd area, may I ask the Secretary of State to instruct the chairman of the Welsh water authority not to allow the closure of its offices at Mold, with the loss of 200 jobs? What is the Secretary of State doing inside the Government to ensure the provision of launch aid for the A320 at Broughton?

Mr. Edwards

I announced recently a considerable amount of new investment in that part of Wales. There will be further expenditure on the Maelor creamery in north east Wales, and Tetra-pak has also announced further investment there. The hon. Gentleman will know that the Government are considering the airbus and that we expect to make an announcement fairly soon.

As my hon. Friend the Under-Secretary of State said, the Government do not seek to interfere with the management decisions of the Welsh water authority.

Mr. D. E. Thomas

Does the Secretary of State accept that many of us who represent or have interests in Clwyd support the attempts of the local authority to maintain its high standards of service? In both personal social services and education Clwyd has set a lead for Wales over the years, and the Opposition do not wish those services to be cut.

Mr. Edwards

We appreciate much of the work that is being done by Clwyd, but we have given it a massive allocation of resources under the urban programme. When the urban development grants are announced—I believe tomorrow—Clwyd will discover that there is a further allocation of resources to that part of Wales. I repeat what I said in the House last week, and what I have said today, that the rate increases proposed by Clwyd can do nothing but damage to industry and commerce in that area.