HC Deb 19 May 1993 vol 225 cc234-5
10. Mr. Barnes

To ask the President of the Board of Trade when he will next visit the east midlands to discuss job losses in manufacturing industry.

Mr. Heseltine

I hope to visit the east midlands shortly. I expect to discuss a range of issues with manufacturing and other businesses in the region.

Mr. Barnes

The Secretary of State certainly needs to talk to a great number of people in the east midlands. In the shire county elections in the east midlands, Labour took 211 seats to the Conservatives' 134. We need investment in manufacturing industry in the east midlands, where investment is still below the 1979 level. Will the Secretary of State ensure that he has good talks with a host of people who might have ideas about what he should do?

Mr. Heseltine

I can give the hon. Gentleman an unqualified assurance. I will talk to Toyota at Burnaston which is creating 3,000 new jobs, to Toray Textiles at Mansfield which has created 400 new jobs, to Walkers and Sons in Leicester which has created 250 new jobs, to Land's End at Oakham which has created 100 new jobs, to Airwair of Woolaston in Northamptonshire which has created 70 new jobs and to Fisher Controls in Braunstone in Leicestershire which has created 66 new jobs. I can only say to the hon. Gentleman, who says that Labour has won all those seats, enjoy it while it lasts, because it will not be long.

Mrs. Angela Knight

Has my right hon. Friend seen the Price Waterhouse survey of Derbyshire firms, which was published last week, in which 80 per cent. of companies said that they were coming out of recession and that profits were improving and in which one third were proposing to increase their work forces? Does my right hon. Friend agree that we should congratulate those companies and that the way forward is through a closer partnership between the Government and manufacturing industry to help companies invest and so create the jobs that are needed in that area and elsewhere in the country?

Mr. Heseltine

My hon. Friend is right, but why is it that one only ever sees support for the things that are going right in Derbyshire from hon. Members on the Government side of the House?