§ 5. Sir Nicholas Winterton (Macclesfield)If he will make a statement on prospects for inward manufacturing investment in Scotland. [133810]
§ The Secretary of State for Scotland (Mr. Alistair Darling)Inward investment continues to make an important contribution to the Scottish economy. The Government, through the Department of Trade and Industry, provide support for the Scottish Executive's economic strategy and for the work of its inward investment agency, Scottish Development International.
§ Sir Nicholas WintertonI am grateful to the Secretary of State for that reply. Like all hon. Members, he will be aware that the Scottish work force has very high skill levels and a fine reputation for its work ethic. Is he concerned about the most recent quarterly trends survey by CBI Scotland, which reports that manufacturing orders are falling and that declining output is putting pressure on prices and jobs? I would not want the Scottish work force to suffer as a result of regulation and a lack of flexibility in the work force.
§ Mr. DarlingThe hon. Gentleman is right that Scotland has very high skill levels. Although many industries have gone through a transitional period in which they faced difficulties, many people are buoyant about the prospects for Scotland's economy, not only because of its high skill levels, but because of the support that is provided in terms of the economy by the Government at Westminster and the Scottish Executive. For example, I noticed yesterday that Edinburgh university has set up a new £40 million science facility that could in time lead to many new jobs in an extremely skilled area where people are optimistic about the future. Of course we will take into account the CBI report, but generally the prospects for the Scottish economy are good, just as are the prospects for the UK economy, provided that we stick to our policy of providing a strong and stable economic environment. If we do that, everyone has good reason to be optimistic.