§ Mr. MorganTo ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will make a statement on the Wales engineering centre proposal; what consultations he has undertaken; and if he will place a copy of the Brodie report in the Library.
§ Mr. RedwoodThe initiative to establish the Engineering Centre for Wales was taken in response to the need to raise the image and status of science, engineering and technology and to create awareness of the important contribution these subjects make to wealth creation. It is being driven forward by the Engineering Council, the Royal Academy of Engineering, the Welsh Office and the Welsh Development Agency.
At an early stage, the views of about 100 representatives of industry, academia, various agencies and professional institutions were sought at a workshop held in March 1992. Since then, the views of the centre's key customers have continually been canvassed for consideration in the planning process.
I have arranged for a copy of my Department's engineering skills consultation paper to be placed in the Library of the House.