HC Deb 20 July 1994 vol 247 cc303-4
6. Mr. Campbell-Savours

To ask the President of the Board of Trade when he next intends to discuss with representatives of the West Cumbria development agency the future of local development.

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Corporate Affairs (Mr. Neil Hamilton)

My right hon. Friend the President of the Board of Trade has no plans to meet West Cumbrian representatives in the near future. Officials in the Government office for the north-west are in regular and close contact with the West Cumbria development agency. As the Minister with responsibility for the north-west, I go there frequently and I should be happy to see those representatives if the hon. Gentleman were to request it.

Mr. Campbell-Savours

I raise the issue that I have raised repeatedly during the past 12 months in the House —the empty 500,000 sq ft former Volvo factory in Workington. What is happening in the Department? What efforts are currently being made to try to find either a tenant or a new owner on the international market of footloose industry that is interested in coming to the United Kingdom?

Mr. Hamilton

As the hon. Gentleman will know, the Government have shown willingness to help Cumbria in many respects in recent years. During the past three years, £12 million has been invested in projects designed to provide improved facilities for business and commerce alone, and that is part of a continuing programme spear-headed by English Partnerships.

Current Government investment in Cumbria for economic development runs at some £65 million per annum. Of course I hope that the site will be utilised in due course. With the economy on the up, I am sure that the prospects for that part of the region are much better than they have been for many years.