Oral Answers to Questions

Stephen Doughty Excerpts
Thursday 7th February 2013

(11 years, 3 months ago)

Commons Chamber
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Lord Willetts Portrait Mr Willetts
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That is absolutely right. As well as what is happening in the north-west of England, the Edinburgh BioQuarter is of international repute and the university of Dundee is the centre of another excellent cluster of medical research. This is a British strength, not simply a strength in the London-Oxford-Cambridge triangle.

Stephen Doughty Portrait Stephen Doughty (Cardiff South and Penarth) (Lab/Co-op)
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4. What assessment he has made of the need for business certainty for firms to secure investment and long-term growth.

Vince Cable Portrait The Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills (Vince Cable)
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Industrial strategy sets out a long-term approach to deliver greater certainty and growth in partnership with business. We will publish 10 sector strategies jointly with business throughout 2013.

Stephen Doughty Portrait Stephen Doughty
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Whether it is on energy, infrastructure or Europe, the Government are sending out confused signals, no signal or the wrong signal to business. On the latter point, what representations has the Secretary of State had from businesses on the impact on investment and growth of his Government’s decision to hold an in/out referendum on EU membership in 2017?

Vince Cable Portrait Vince Cable
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Inward investors always make it clear that they want certainty and clarity in that matter. TheCityUK recently did a survey which suggested that the stability of our membership of the single market accounted for roughly 40% of decisions to commit to the UK.