§ 19. Mr. Barry Jones (Alyn and Deeside)If he will make a statement on the means by which his Department assists UK manufacturing industry's exports. [40510]
§ The Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Mr. Derek Fatchett)On 25 March I, together with colleagues from the Department of Trade and Industry, launched a new package of measures that is based on the recommendations of the export forum to help exporters. We have also launched the ambassadors for British business scheme and a programme of short-term attachments of business people to our overseas posts. Those projects are helping to make the Foreign Office more businesslike and to focus on the needs of our customers. The new schemes are in addition to the wide range of assistance that is provided to British companies by our global network of 217 commercial posts in 140 markets.
§ Mr. JonesI am grateful to my hon. Friend for that comprehensive reply. Will he please continue to use the full resources of his Department to assist the British aerospace industry abroad?
§ Mr. FatchettI am happy to give that commitment to my hon. Friend. He has been a true champion of the industry during his years in the House of Commons, and his constituents know the valuable role that he has played in that respect. That is why his majority has increased at every successive election.
§ Mr. Jonathan Sayeed (Mid-Bedfordshire)The Minister will be aware that General Motors was thinking of withdrawing its investment from Vauxhall in Luton. Is he aware that Vauxhall cited as one of the reasons the high value of the pound?
§ Mr. FatchettThe hon. Gentleman establishes his question on a false assumption and hypothesis, so I will not answer it. Vauxhall is still with us. We look forward to it staying with us because it is an important inward investor in Britain and has a good reputation.
§ Mr. Barry Sheerman (Huddersfield)Will my hon. Friend ensure not just that resources are moved around in our efforts to increase British exports, including British manufacturing exports, but that there is a real percentage increase in the resources that are devoted to that important task? Does he agree that if British Airways flew throughout the world using not only Boeing jets powered 151 by Rolls-Royce engines, but the airbus, which has a larger percentage of British-manufactured components, we should have a good ambassador for British products?
§ Mr. FatchettThe export forum report recommended that we should concentrate our additional resources for export promotion on a number of priority markets. We aim to do that, and to ensure we have a more driven commercial response to the needs of those particular markets and the companies that operate in them, so my hon. Friend can be assured that additional resources, as and when they become available, will be used in that way. He is right, of course, to talk about the successes of the British aerospace industry. Rolls-Royce and the airbus are fine examples of British technology and British engineering.