§ 25. Mr. Nicholas WintertonTo ask the Secretary of State for Wales what recent discussion he has had with the First Secretary about the future viability of the manufacturing sector in Wales. [35131]
§ Mr. Paul MurphyI have regular discussions with the First Minister of the National Assembly for Wales on a range of issues including manufacturing in Wales.
In Wales, under DTI's £15 million UK-wide scheme, a Welsh Centre of Manufacturing Excellence is being set up, which will benefit up to 2,000 firms in the first three years.
§ Paul FlynnTo ask the Secretary of State for Wales what recent discussions he has had with the First Secretary on new initiatives to assist manufacturing industries in Wales. [35111]
§ Mr. Paul MurphyI meet the First Secretary regularly to discuss a range of issues, including manufacturing in Wales.
The Government understand that some parts of the economy, such as manufacturing, continue to face real and sustained difficulties.
There are no simple solutions at hand to ease these problems, but the Government and Assembly are helping British manufacturing to raise its game and to shift its focus from competing on the basis of cost alone towards high skill, high value-added products and processes.