Industrial Strategy Consultation

Lindsay Hoyle Excerpts

Monday 23rd January 2017 Commons Chamber

[Several hon. Members rose—]

[Mr Deputy Speaker (Mr Lindsay Hoyle)]

Order. What I would say to everybody is that we still have a lot of people standing, and we still have a lot of business. In order to get everybody in, can we have brevity, both in questions and answers?

[Greg Clark]

My hon. Friend is right. The essence of our strategy has to be to support the ability of people to compete and to make life difficult for the incumbents. There are no cosy clubs for the incumbents, and the test of our support in sectors is whether it helps new businesses to emerge. That is extremely important.

--- Later in debate ---

[Christian Matheson (City of Chester) (Lab)]

rose—

[Mr Deputy Speaker (Mr Lindsay Hoyle)]

Last but certainly not least from the Opposition, I call the voice of Chester, Mr Chris Matheson.

[Christian Matheson]

I would hope not least, Mr Deputy Speaker.

The Science, Engineering and Manufacturing Technologies Alliance has calculated that there is an annual shortfall of 50,000 skilled engineers and that this will aggregate to about 800,000 by 2020. How does the Secretary of State plan to close that gap? While he is at the Dispatch Box, will he take the opportunity to scotch the recent press reports and confirm that all the steel in HS2 will be made at UK plants, including Shotton, where many of my constituents work?

--- Later in debate ---

[Steve Double (St Austell and Newquay) (Con)]

rose—

[Mr Deputy Speaker (Mr Lindsay Hoyle)]

Last, but certainly not least, I call Steve Double.

[Steve Double]

Thank you, Mr Deputy Speaker. I know you have been saving the best for last.

Many references have been made to mobile technologies and electric vehicles as growth areas for the future. They both rely heavily on batteries. Will the Secretary of State therefore join me in welcoming last week’s news that large deposits of lithium have been found in Cornwall? This creates a great opportunity to build on our mining heritage in Cornwall and develop new industries around the extraction of lithium. Will my right hon. Friend confirm that this industrial strategy is designed precisely to support industries such as this one?