HC Deb 20 January 1997 vol 288 c501W
18. Mr. Alan W. Williams

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will make a statement on the prospects for the Welsh economy in 1997. [9925]

Mr. Hague

Prospects for the Welsh economy in 1997 are very good indeed. Employment is rising and unemployment continues to fall; independent forecasters expect GDP in 1997 to grow faster in Wales than in the UK as a whole; and for Wales to continue to have the strongest manufacturing growth of all regions. Business surveys show that businesses in Wales remain very confident.