§ 3. Mr. Campbell-SavoursTo ask the President of the Board of Trade what representations he has received from organisations in the northern and north-west regions on the levels of support available to help industry. [15024]
§ The Minister for Industry (Mr. Greg Knight)I and other DTI Ministers regularly receive representations from organisations about the level of support available to help industry, including that in the northern and north-west regions.
§ Mr. Campbell-SavoursWhat is the point of maintaining a regime of regional assistance to draw manufacturing industry from all over the world to set up new plant in areas such as west Cumbria when the Foreign Office, in the form of the Foreign Secretary, is saying that Britain should not enter a single currency, thus undermining the strategy of confidence-building designed to attract industry to the United Kingdom? Surely there is an inconsistency at the heart of government. Why do Ministers not get their act together, so as to avoid undermining the strategy on which the areas that many of us represent are utterly reliant?
§ Mr. KnightIn January 1996, unemployment in the hon. Gentleman's area was 11.5 per cent. This year it is 10.4 per cent.—
§ Mr. Campbell-SavoursI did not ask about that.
§ Mr. KnightI thought that the hon. Gentleman was about to stand up and welcome the fall in unemployment, which was caused partly by the success of the regional selective assistance scheme. What would damage British industry and destroy British jobs is implementation of the social chapter and the minimum wage.