Strikes

HC Deb 30 October 1995 vol 265 cc1-3

1. Mr. Jacques Arnold

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many working days are currently being lost in strikes in (a) Wales and (b) South Korea. [37825]

The Secretary of State for Wales (Mr. William Hague)

In 1994, an average of 14 working days per 1,000 employees were lost due to labour disputes in Wales. I understand that the corresponding figure for South Korea was 103 per 1,000.

Mr. Arnold

Do not those figures, which draw a comparison with one of the leading tiger economies of Asia, show the progress being made by Wales? Do not they show how Wales has cast aside its labour and trade union industrial tradition and taken on the opportunities presented by Tory Britain? May I congratulate my right hon. Friend on his work in South Korea with a team of Welsh business men? It is already bearing fruit.

Mr. Hague

I thank my hon. Friend for his comments. He is quite right to point to our good industrial relations record in Wales over recent years. When that is added to the fact that there is lower tax in Wales than in other countries, less regulation than in other countries and a good sense of partnership, it is no surprise that one of the headlines in the newspapers today was, "Wales heads UK confidence".

Dr. Marek

Nevertheless, does the Secretary of State realise that the tax take in the Republic of Korea is approximately half what it is here? Does he also realise that the rate of growth in South Korea has never fallen below 5 per cent. during the past 15 years, whereas the rate of growth in this country has never been above 5 per cent? Indeed, on average, it has stayed at around 1.5 per cent. Does the right hon. Gentleman agree, therefore, that whether there are strikes in the Republic of Korea makes no difference in any comparison with the Welsh economy? Is not the real comment on the Welsh economy the Conservative Government's abysmal handling of it?

Mr. Hague

It really is time that the hon. Gentleman started to reflect on and talk about the good news in our country. The recent Ford announcement in Bridgend was a huge vote of confidence in Wales, its workers and its economic circumstances. Unemployment in Wales has fallen by 27,000 since 1992; in the valleys, it has come down by 23 per cent. since the programme for the valleys began in April 1993. The hon. Gentleman should be joining me in telling the rest of the world how well we are doing and how good our prospects are.

Mr. Duncan

Will my right hon. Friend confirm that, following his visit to Korea and, indeed, because of the climate for business in Wales, major companies in Korea want to use Wales as a springboard for investment in this country and to export to other countries in the European Union, and that his visit may well prove to be a great success?

Mr. Hague

I certainly think that there is considerable potential for investment in Wales by Korean companies. Some of them have already invested in other parts of the United Kingdom and I hope that, before too long, we shall see concrete evidence of their investing in Wales. For such companies, Wales is a very attractive place from which to do business with the rest of Europe because we have lower tax, less regulation and good industrial relations—all of which have been brought about by the Government.

Mr. Morgan

While I yield to no one in my admiration for the phenomenal economic growth achieved in the tiger economies of south-east Asia, will the Secretary of State take this opportunity to apologise to the House and to Wales for the disgraceful anti-Welsh behaviour of his predecessor in preventing Wales from even mounting a bid for the 3,000-job Taiwanese picture-tube project, while Scotland, Ireland and the northern region had no such inhibitions?

Mr. Hague

In recent years, Wales has continued to gain between 10 per cent. and 20 per cent. of all inward investment into the United Kingdom—more than its proportionate share on the basis of population. That does not mean that we can be complacent; we have to redouble our efforts each year. All my predecessors were successful in helping to attract more inward investment into Wales and I hope to emulate that record.