§ Q22. Mr. WigleyTo ask the Prime Minister if she will make a statement on her recent visit to Wales.
§ The Prime MinisterDuring my visit to the Rhondda valley and Cardiff bay, I was able to see the remarkable regeneration that is taking place; with new factories, shops, new housing and offices together with major improvements in the local environment.
I visited Allied Steel and Wire where I was pleased to meet management and employees and to congratulate them on their impressive growth and achievements over recent years. I also saw a fine example of inward investment when I visited the Kyushu Matsushita Electric United Kingdom plant at Newport. This inward investment has high productivity and a fine export record. It is just one example of over 230 inward investment projects that have been attracted to Wales.
I met the Health Promotion Authority for Wales and to learn about its campaign to reduce the incidence of heart disease and cancer. I visited Companies House which is one of many examples of the relocation of Government activities from London to the regions. These have brought benefits to the local economy and provided very good facilities for those carrying out these important Government operations.
I was delighted to witness personally the remarkable transformation that is taking place in both the economy and the environment of Wales under this Government.