Oral Answers to Questions
Debate between Lord Wharton of Yarm and Tom Blenkinsop(8 years, 11 months ago)
Commons ChamberRead Full debate Read Hansard Text Read Debate Ministerial Extracts
James Wharton
As always, DFID Ministers would be delighted to meet parliamentary colleagues. I am sure we would be happy to arrange an appropriate meeting, and I can assure the hon. Lady that we are looking to invest in long-term economic prospects in Montserrat, as elsewhere.
Tom Blenkinsop (Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland) (Lab)
Tees Valley Inward Investment Initiative
Debate between Lord Wharton of Yarm and Tom Blenkinsop
James Wharton
The hon. Gentleman makes an important point. Teesside is of course internationally respected for the chemical processing industry; not just NEPIC but CPI and the work done in that sector provide good jobs, long-term investment and real opportunity to attract more. We always want to continue to support that. As part of the process of looking for international investors, we are looking to support those organisations to see where more investment can be brought in. The chemicals and processing industry will form part of the story going forward of the sites that the MDC will become responsible for and the work it is doing.
Tom Blenkinsop
The Minister mentions CPI and its importance to the local and national economy. Can he comment on my question about MPI and the steel catapult: do the Government intend to go forward with that? In our area we have the capability of R and D closely associated with the former blast furnace. That could provide the inward investment necessary to get that industry going again in our locality.
James Wharton
I will come on to talk about that. I just want to address the second part of the question from the hon. Member for Hartlepool (Mr Wright). He asked about offshore wind, and significant approvals have been given for offshore wind not far off the coast of Teesside. This will present a real opportunity to bring investment to our area. I know that live discussions are taking place with companies in the Tees valley about how they can be part of that supply chain and bring jobs and investment to our area through being part of the processes of delivering that potential driver of our economy. I have had discussions with some of those local companies, and I am supporting them as far as I can. Some of the discussions are of course commercially sensitive, but I also want to extend a direct offer, particularly to the hon. Gentleman, given his constituency’s interest in the matter. If there is something specific that a company in his constituency would like to see done, if there is a meeting that it would like the Government to attend, or if there is any assistance that I can give, he need only call on me to arrange it. If the Government can support or help, I will join him and do everything I reasonably can to persuade people to take the right decisions.
The hon. Member for Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland asked about the Materials Processing Institute. There is a bid from that organisation for a catapult similar to the one we have already mentioned, but my understanding is that that bid is not sufficiently strong at this time. However, despite that having been the initial decision and recommendation by officials, it is my intention to ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills to look personally at that and to ask officials whether improvements or changes could be made that would enable that to be delivered.
The Government have to take these decisions on a sound basis, and they have to assess things fairly, wherever in the country they might be, but if there is potential and opportunity, it is important that we ensure that that has been explored to the fullest degree. If there is something that can deliver benefits and improvements to our area and bring investment and jobs to our communities, I want to see it explored and every avenue considered—certainly before any negative decision is made—in the hope that a positive decision might be forthcoming. I am happy to give a commitment to ask for that work to be undertaken, and I will do so following the debate this evening. I do not know what the outcome will be, but whatever happens with the individual projects of which we have spoken and with the individual recommendations in Lord Heseltine’s report on the economy of the Tees valley, we have great potential and I am confident that we have a great future.
The Evening Gazette newspaper is running an Invest in Teesside campaign, recognising that the more we talk up our area and highlight the opportunities that exist there, the more we can jointly achieve and drive forward for the benefit of its economy. I look forward to working with hon. Members across the House—indeed, I have little choice other than to make that offer in relation to the Tees valley. I look forward to working with the Evening Gazette, with local businesses, with the local enterprise partnership, with the new combined authority and with the mayor—when they are elected next year with the exciting range of powers that they will have, whoever they might be—to drive forward investment in Teesside.
Our area is very well placed to profit from many of the exciting things that are happening in the world and from the great skills of the people who live in our communities. We have a duty to work together to deliver on that, but that does not mean that the Government will acquiesce in every request, or that we will do everything that is asked of us immediately. It means that we will properly assess and consider the situation, and think long and hard about the right approach to take. We will build a broad consensus on what can be done for the good of the economy of our area. That work is well under way, as we can see in the mayoral development corporation and in the devolution deal that has been agreed. I hope we can also see that in the tone of this evening’s debate.
Tom Blenkinsop
I repeat a question I asked in my speech about an investigation into the remaining assets on site at SSI, including the continuous casting and basic oxygen steelmaking equipment. I also asked whether there would be an investigation into the blast furnace itself. This is important because it would enable us to establish the degree to which the assets might be redeemable or saleable. It would also give the official receiver an instruction about how those assets could be used in future.
James Wharton
Given the specific nature of the hon. Gentleman’s question, I will seek to address it. The site is in the hands of the official receiver, and the Government are talking to them. We are working to ensure that the site is handed over in the best possible circumstances that can be achieved, given its sad recent history, and when that happens we will of course seek to maximise the use of all the site’s assets and the land, including any assets that remain on it. That will primarily be channelled through the development corporation, which will drive that process. It is in all our interests that that proper work is done in the appropriate way and at the appropriate time.
I am absolutely confident that the Tees valley has a bright future ahead of it. We have the most incredible people, businesses and opportunities. Given the things those people and businesses are doing and the way in which the leadership in the private and public sectors is pulling together in the interests of the broader local economy, these could be exciting times. We have faced a difficult year, but I hope that by working together we can ensure a brighter future for all our constituents.
Question put and agreed to.