§ 2. Ian Lucas (Wrexham) (Lab)What discussions he has had with the Minister for Economic Development and Transport of the National Assembly for Wales on encouraging closer working between manufacturing industry and universities in Wales. [169182]
§ The Secretary of State for Wales (Mr. Peter Hain)We have held regular discussions. Strengthening collaborative links between industry, academia and our science base is vital if Wales is to continue to attract and develop high-tech investment and to compete in global markets.
§ Ian LucasDoes my right hon. Friend agree that creating a research infrastructure in an important manufacturing area such as north-east Wales is essential to the continued success of manufacturing in the region? Will he ask the Minister responsible for such matters in the National Assembly for Wales to make an assessment of how much current research for manufacturing companies in north-east Wales is carried out in Wales?
§ Mr. HainI will happily speak to the Minister for Economic Development and Transport to find out whether it is possible to discover the answer to my hon. Friend's question. He will know that a £150 million technium project is being rolled out the length and breadth of Wales, including two research and development facilities for laser technology—at St. Asaph in north Wales and, of course, at the centre for advanced software technology at Bangor. That marriage of industry, science, innovation and academia is the key to Wales's drive to improve our technological base, our economy and our valued-added ability to win in global markets.
§ Mr. Bill Wiggin (Leominster) (Con)How many jobs are there in the chemicals sectors in Wales, and how dependent are those jobs on the chemistry taught in Swansea? Does the right hon. Gentleman think that the closure of the chemistry department at Swansea university will have a negative impact on the future of that sector in Wales?
§ Mr. HainAs the hon. Gentleman knows, the manufacturing sector in Wales, including the chemistry industry, is in good shape. Indeed, the CBI director said that the news for manufacturing is better than it has been for a very long time in Wales. However, in respect of the university of Swansea, I understand that the intention is to close the undergraduate courses over a period of years, while protecting existing students' rights and maintaining postgraduate studies, research and related academic areas.
§ Mr. WigginThe reason cited for the closure of that department is that courses in other subjects can be run for less money. When asking industry to support universities, how does the right hon. Gentleman respond to the accusation that the Government's targets are forcing universities to offer more and cheaper courses, rather than traditional, scientific research subjects, such as chemistry?
§ Mr. HainI respond to that accusation by saying that it is clearly nonsense. In fact, we are now seeing more and more collaboration between industry and universities in Wales, including Swansea and Cardiff, which is doing especially well. That is driving forward the Welsh economy's ability to compete. I am rather surprised that the hon. Gentleman raises this issue given that the Conservative party intends, if it wins the next general election, to institute cuts in the first two years of its period in office, thus reducing education funding in universities and cutting the ability of Wales to prosper. It is no surprise therefore that he did not even know when his manifesto launch for the local election was to take place. He seems to have lost the draft manifesto. Perhaps he can tell us when he will deal with that.
§ Mark Tami (Alyn and Deeside) (Lab)The Secretary of State will be aware of the recent announcement of the proposed closure of RAF Sealand and the subsequent possible job losses there. Will he join me in working with the Welsh Development Agency, Flintshire county council and the Assembly to generate new employment? In particular, he has mentioned techniums, so will he encourage the development of techniums in north Wales, especially in areas where we are very successful, such as the aerospace industry?
§ Mr. HainI will happily do that. My hon. Friend is absolutely right to focus on the jewel in the crown of the north-east Wales economy—its Airbus operations and the related support mechanisms. If the Assembly is able to encourage research and development in the technium concept there, it will be a very good thing indeed. In respect of Sealand, yes, I will happily work with him on that because alternative opportunities are available for the workers who have lost their jobs. We are seeing a process of rapid change in industry and throughout the Welsh economy, in which nevertheless more and more jobs are being created all the time, with employment up by 120,000 since the general election in 1997.
§ Lembit Öpik (Montgomeryshire) (LD)The Secretary of State will be aware that the university of Wales clearly plays an important role in providing a skills base for manufacturing in Wales. Is he aware of the problems presently facing the university of Wales and the fact that a cross-party group of MPs and other individuals are seeking solutions to those difficulties? Will he share his views on what we should be doing, what he has done and how he feels about the confederation proposals in respect of the universities in Wales? Finally, would he be willing to listen to some specific proposals, when they have been formulated by the interested parties, to resolve the issues facing the university of Wales?
§ Mr. HainOf course, I will be happy to listen to specific proposals from the hon. Gentleman or others, but it is important that universities such as Cardiff and others, are able to market themselves very effectively, as he will agree, in an intensely competitive global higher education market. In particular, Cardiff has done extraordinarily well in the past few years, and other universities in Wales are in a similar position. We want 1325 them all to develop in their own ways, rather than having an over-arching bureaucracy that holds them back. Nevertheless, we should consider the different models that exist.
§ Donald Anderson (Swansea, East) (Lab)Undergraduate teaching in chemistry will be ended in Swansea, while the university is expanding the teaching of softer, more popular subjects, such as media studies. Surely if the Government are serious about encouraging a science base, as we said in the Budget, we should look again at what Swansea university is suggesting, particularly because the experts say that research needs an undergraduate base. Does my right hon. Friend agree that, if we wish to thrive as a nation, we cannot go around simply writing media essays to one another?
§ Mr. HainI could not agree more. The problem with Swansea, as my right hon. Friend will know as a local Member of Parliament, is that both the university senate and council voted overwhelmingly in support of the proposals. I myself am disappointed, not least because I have a company in my constituency that was spun out of Swansea university's chemistry department 10 to 20 years ago. Excellence should be maintained, and the university says that that will indeed be the case at postgraduate level—the very level which feeds into innovation and technological development.