Manufacturing (Hansard, 11 May 2000)

§ 22. Mrs. Gorman
To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what steps he is taking to assist manufacturing industry. [120526]

§ Mr. Alan Johnson
We are assisting manufacturing industry to be competitive by creating the right economic climate and by pursuing policies that help firms to innovate and grow.
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§ 34. Mr. Brake
To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will make a statement on the impact on manufacturing industry of the strength of the pound. [120539]

§ Mr. Alan Johnson
This Government understand the difficulties many manufacturers, particularly those trading with Europe, are facing because of the value of the pound in relation to the euro. However we are determined to take a long-term view—attempts at short-term fixes would ultimately do more harm than good.
The latest average of independent forecasts for the UK economy points to manufacturing output rising by 2.2 per cent. this year, in line with the top end of the Treasury's Budget forecast.

36. Mr. Alan W. Williams
To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment he has made of the effect of the current value of the pound on the competitiveness of UK manufacturing industry. [120541]

§ Mr. Alan Johnson
This Government understand the difficulties which many manufacturers, particularly those trading with Europe, face as a result of the weakness of the euro, but competitiveness depends on a wide range of factors.
The platform for economic stability created by this Government, together with the structural measures to promote competition, to encourage enterprise and innovation, and to raise the skills base and investment, provides the best economic environment for improving industrial competitiveness in the UK.