HC Deb 12 March 1986 vol 93 c928
9. Mrs. McCurley

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry to what extent his Department is encouraging British companies to make better use of Britain's design talent.

Mr. Butcher

All the Department's design activities, incorporating the promoting of awareness of the importance of design in industry and in the education system, and specific measures to help designers, are aimed in some way at making better use of Britain's great wealth of design talent. The extent of the Department's commitment is illustrated by the fact that we have trebled expenditure on design from £ 4 million in 1982–83 to £12 million in the current year.

Mrs. McCurley

Does my hon. Friend agree that in producing consumer goods in particular, British manufacturers should use designers to greater effect, in view of the fact that there are so many imported goods on the shelves in our shops?

Mr. Butcher

A phenomenon which concerns many people is that so many of our goods, especially consumer goods, are of foreign manufacture. I am delighted to say that out industrialists have woken up to the fact that, by using British design talent, which is the best in the world, they can tackle the huge growth in the range of consumer goods. Currently many British companies do not even begin to address that issue.

Mr. Ewing

Is the hon. Gentleman aware that the Post Office uses British design talent in a different design area —to design its British industry stamp? What is the good of asking British design talent to design a British industry stamp for Industry Year when the Government have tried to sell British Leyland to the Americans, and when Government directors on BP's board connived in the selling of the BP tanker fleet to the Bahamas?

Mr. Butcher

The design story is as applicable to the making of stamps as it is to the making of cars. Although I commend the design practice that designed those stamps —I visited that company—I also commend BL's design policy. BL made large investments in a huge computer aided design facility. The evidence, now on the roads, shows that its design policy is beginning to pay off.