HC Deb 24 March 1993 vol 221 cc646-8W
Mr. Richards

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what he is doing to promote exports from Wales; what role the export development adviser for Wales has in these plans; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. David Hunt

I am introducing an exports initiative to improve further the exports performance of Welsh industry. Under the initiative, 30 Welsh companies will be represented by the Department at the premier United Kingdom trade fair for the Arabian Gulf which is to be held in Dubai next month. I have doubled the number of Welsh Office-led trade missions to overseas markets and have arranged for small and medium-sized Wales-based companies to join them at subsidised rates for the first time ever.

During the coming financial year our programme of missions will be:

  • June 6–11—Germany (Stuttgart) and Switzerland (Zurich)
  • August 14–26—Singapore and Malaysia (Kuala Lumpur)
  • September 12–24—USA (Seattle) and Canada (Vancouver and Toronto)
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  • October 1–14—The Arabian Gulf (Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait)
  • February 14–18—Belgium (Brussels)
  • March 13–18—France (Marseilles) and Spain (Barcelona)

A further eight missions will be arranged during 1994–95 and 10 during 1995–96.

In support of these trade missions and to provide specialist market information for new and existing exporters, my Department will mount at least one promotional seminar a month during the next 12 months. One of these missions will also be a training mission for those business people who have not yet been on an export mission. Seminars in hand include "Exporting for the Invisibles sector", "Approaching the French market", "Indo British Partnerships", and "Taiwan".

My Department already provides in Wales the full range of the Government's overseas trade services. The new Wales chamber of commerce and industry plays an important and complementary role in export promotion and, under joint finance arrangements with my Department, has made an export development adviser available to industry and commerce throughout Wales.