Oral Answers to Questions

Greg Hands Excerpts

Wednesday 27th February 2019 Commons Chamber

[Nigel Adams]

The hon. Gentleman—who has been incredibly creative in getting his question in under Chepstow—will be pleased to hear that we are continuing to engage with the Department for Transport on this vital project.

[Greg Hands (Chelsea and Fulham) (Con)]

9. What discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues on the potential effect of F-35 contracts on (a) industry in and (b) exports from Wales.

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Wales (Nigel Adams)]

Again there is no stronger voice for Wales than that of my right hon. Friend, who has a long-standing interest in Wales. Yesterday I met the Minister with responsibility for defence procurement, my hon. Friend the Member for Pudsey (Stuart Andrew) to discuss the F-35 contract. The recent announcement puts Wales right at the centre of the global F-35 partnership. It is the largest defence programme in history.

[Greg Hands]

It was a great pleasure to visit the F-35 factory in Fort Worth in the summer of 2016, and of course the F-35 has a huge UK content to it, so does my hon. Friend agree that these contracts show the immense contribution being made by the Welsh defence industry to the UK economy and exports overall?

[Nigel Adams]

The aerospace and defence industries are in very good health in Wales. In the financial year 2017-18, the UK Government spent £960 million with the Welsh defence industry and commerce; that is up from £946 million. This supports an estimated 6,300 jobs in Wales and the half a billion pound F-35 contract is to be welcomed right across this House.

Oral Answers to Questions

Greg Hands Excerpts

Wednesday 2nd February 2011 Commons Chamber

[Mrs Gillan]

I am sad to hear from the right hon. Gentleman that someone is thinking of moving business out of his constituency and across the border. I hope that he has made representations to the Welsh Assembly Government—I would not want to cut across anything that they are doing, as they are responsible for economic development, but my door is always open to him. If he would like to write to me about this particular case and company, and the associated issues, I will make investigations to see how I can help. I think that that is the proper way of conducting business.

[Greg Hands (Chelsea and Fulham) (Con)]

9. What recent discussions she has had with ministerial colleagues on steps to assist economic growth in Wales.

[The Secretary of State for Wales (Mrs Cheryl Gillan)]

In the past week, I have met my right hon. Friends the Secretary of State for Transport and the Home Secretary, and the Minister for Trade and Investment, Lord Green, to discuss a range of issues to assist economic growth in Wales.

[Greg Hands]

Given this year’s corporation tax cuts, the new national insurance contributions holiday for small businesses and the cancellation of Labour’s national insurance tax hike next month, does the Secretary of State agree that this Government are restoring Wales’s good reputation as a destination for inward investment, which was so badly damaged by the previous Government?

[Mrs Gillan]

My hon. Friend knows that we will be working night and day to restore Wales’s reputation as a good destination for inward investment. Indeed, my right hon. Friends have already started that work by reducing over-regulation on business, reducing the taxes on business, introducing national insurance holidays and rolling back the wicked jobs tax that would have affected business in Wales and all over the United Kingdom.