§ 5. Mr. FlynnTo ask the Secretary of State for Wales what is his estimate of the total number of jobs that have been lost by outward investment, or the export of existing jobs overseas, in the past 12 months.
§ The Minister of State, Welsh Office (Sir Wyn Roberts)We do not hold those figures, but I can tell the hon. Gentleman that nine inward investment projects have been secured for his constituency in the past 18 months, promising some 450 jobs and that the magnificent Imperial science park being established there will create many hundreds of top-quality new jobs in addition to those provided by the new Patent Office.
§ Mr. FlynnWhile the loss of jobs from Newport and Llanelli to firms overseas is serious enough, what is more worrying is the loss of jobs from Newport to other parts of the United Kingdom. Is the Minister aware of the claims made by the previous Secretary of State for Wales that the Toyota jobs were in the bag for Wales until the previous 625 Prime Minister called in the Toyota boss and told him that she wanted the jobs to be located in Derby because of the large number of marginal seats in that district? She also promised to match the grant available in Wales for Derby.
Is the Minister further aware that the Prime Minister flatly denied the claim and told me that the Government neither encouraged nor discouraged Toyota in its choice of site? Will the Minister guarantee today that should future jobs bonanzas come to Wales they will not be stolen by Huntingdon man using the Huntingdon charter to site such jobs in Huntingdon?
§ Sir Wyn RobertsThe hon. Gentleman has revealed himself as rather smaller-minded than I had thought. Of course I have seen the Prime Minister's reply to him—it contains what I have already said. The eventual decision was for Toyota itself to take. There were competing claims within the United Kingdom and overseas. That is entirely credible and, bearing in mind the fact that Toyota did not require Government financial assistance, it is inconceivable that any pressure could have been brought to bear on it.
To listen to the hon. Gentleman one would think that we in Wales had some God-given right to every investment. We do not.
§ Mr. DickensDoes my right hon. Friend accept that inward investment in the United Kingdom in general and in Wales in particular was outstanding last year? What have been the investment opportunities in the first six months of this year?
§ Sir Wyn RobertsMy hon. Friend is absolutely right. We have done extremely well with inward investment. Last year about 147 projects were secured, promising 15,000 new or safeguarded jobs and capital investment of about £585 million. In the first six months of this year we have had 102 projects, promising 10,800 jobs and about £735 million worth of investment. It is incredible that one has to go to a rival region such as Catalonia, which I visited last week, to hear just how well we are doing in Wales.
Mr. John P. SmithIt is true that I will always warmly welcome good news for my constituency wherever it comes from, especially good news relating to public money being used to pave the way for investment. It is a pity, however, that many of my colleagues cannot enjoy such good news because of what is happening in Wales.
In the light of the announcement about Barry, may we look forward to an early decision on the establishment of a rail link to Cardiff-Wales airport which will further increase investment opportunities in Barry and the rest of south Wales?
§ Sir Wyn RobertsThe hon. Gentleman and I have been over this ground on a number of occasions and I know that he knows only too well that this is primarily a matter for South Glamorgan county council to put forward in conjuction with British Rail. Then, if such a proposal is made, we can consider it.