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Parliamentary Debates (Hansard) Tuesday Volume 578 25 March 2014 No. 142 HOUSE OF COMMONS OFFICIAL REPORT PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES (HANSARD) Tuesday 25 March 2014 £5·00 © Parliamentary Copyright House of Commons 2014 This publication may be reproduced under the terms of the Open Parliament licence, which is published at www.parliament.uk/site-information/copyright/. 135 25 MARCH 2014 136 chair, to discuss its emerging strategic economic plan. House of Commons Through the Government’s decentralisation agenda, we are giving local leaders the tools and resources they Tuesday 25 March 2014 need to drive local growth. As my hon. Friend will know, in Fleetwood for example, we are supporting the The House met at half-past Eleven o’clock creation and safeguarding of over 400 jobs through investment in the seaside regeneration scheme. PRAYERS Eric Ollerenshaw: Fleetwood has a number of thriving fish processing businesses but needs modern buildings [MR SPEAKER in the Chair] and a complicated land swap to allow them to expand to get a form of northern Billingsgate. Given that we BUSINESS BEFORE QUESTIONS have limited capital resources, is there any chance of some kind of national competition for local authorities TRANSPORT FOR LONDON BILL [LORDS] (BY ORDER) to bring forward their most difficult regeneration schemes, Second Reading opposed and deferred until Tuesday 1 April which potentially could be the most rewarding if they (Standing Order No. 20). are unlocked? Greg Clark: My hon. Friend is absolutely right and the local growth deals proposed by Michael Heseltine Oral Answers to Questions afford precisely that opportunity. I know, having discussed the matter in Lancashire with Lancashire LEP, that it will have a keen eye on that particular proposal. The DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER revival of the economy along the Fylde coast and in the rest of Lancashire is very much in all our interests and I The Deputy Prime Minister was asked— know that it has my hon. Friend’s strong support. New Anglia Local Enterprise Partnership Paul Maynard (Blackpool North and Cleveleys) (Con): One way to support the fish processers of Fleetwood is 1. Dr Thérèse Coffey (Suffolk Coastal) (Con): What to address the issue of the A585, which is the main road discussions he has had with the New Anglia local into Fleetwood going through my constituency. When enterprise partnership on devolving powers and the Minister negotiates the new city deal for the area, responsibilities to that partnership. [903233] will he bear in mind the critical importance of the A585 to the local economy? The Minister of State, Cabinet Office (Greg Clark): In the last 10 weeks, I have travelled across England to Greg Clark: I cannot fail but to bear it in mind, meet with all 39 local enterprise partnerships. As part of having visited my hon. Friend’s constituency—he brought those visits, I had a very productive discussion with the a stellar delegation of local businesses and civic leaders New Anglia local enterprise partnership in Ipswich on to make precisely that point. I received it loud and clear 25 February, where we discussed its strategic economic and look forward to the negotiations of the growth deal. plan. Oxfordshire Local Enterprise Partnership Dr Thérèse Coffey: I welcome the positive discussions that my right hon. Friend the Minister had with the 3. John Howell (Henley) (Con): What discussions he New Anglia LEP. May I urge him to make sure that we has had with the Oxfordshire Local Enterprise get the full responsibilities and powers that the New Partnership on devolving powers and responsibilities to Anglia LEP board is seeking in order to accelerate the that partnership. [903235] economy in East Anglia? Will he also pay tribute to Andy Wood, who is giving up as chairman of the LEP The Minister of State, Cabinet Office (Greg Clark): I this coming Monday? was in Oxfordshire on 30 January to launch the Oxford and Oxfordshire city deal, where I visited the Diamond Greg Clark: I will certainly pay tribute to Andy synchrotron particle accelerator at Harwell. The city Wood. He is the chief executive of Adnams, one of the deal in Oxfordshire supports innovation through projects biggest and most prestigious businesses in East Anglia, as well as investment in skills and transport improvements. and he has done a fantastic job, not only in negotiating I am delighted to see that the latest draft of the growth two city deals but in laying the foundations for what deal is going to reflect the comments made by my hon. is—having discussed it with him—a very ambitious Friend’s distinguished predecessor, the former Member local growth deal that will build on the success that the of Parliament for Henley, Lord Heseltine. economy is experiencing in East Anglia and create many more jobs and apprenticeships. John Howell: It will come as no surprise to my right hon. Friend the Minister that the Oxfordshire LEP has Business Growth (Lancaster and Fleetwood) tried to contact me for the very first time in the last 2. Eric Ollerenshaw (Lancaster and Fleetwood) (Con): couple of days in view of my question. Notwithstanding What support the Government are giving to business that, will he join me in urging it to do more than simply growth in Lancaster and Fleetwood constituency. talk and to turn a blank area on the map into something [903234] a little more active? The Minister of State, Cabinet Office (Greg Clark): I Greg Clark: I would say to all local enterprise visited Lancashire twice in recent weeks and met with partnerships that they should engage with their Members Edwin Booth, the Lancashire local enterprise partnership of Parliament. My view is that MPs have a pretty keen 137 Oral Answers25 MARCH 2014 Oral Answers 138 view as to what are the economic priorities of their Diana Johnson: I think that we all agree that cities are areas and LEPs would do well to take into account best placed to make decisions about regeneration funding what they have to say. I think it would be almost as and what is best for their local populations. As the unwise to ignore my hon. Friend’s comments as it Deputy Prime Minister rightly points out, a great example would be not to take into account the views of his of that is the announcement this morning of Siemens’s neighbour, the Prime Minister, my right hon. Friend the investment in renewables, which means that Hull will be Member for Witney (Mr Cameron). not only the city of culture, but the city of energy. Given that that success was made in Hull, will he congratulate, Greater Birmingham and Solihull Local Enterprise in particular, the Hull business community and Hull’s Partnership Labour council, because without them this would not have happened? Finally, does he agree that if we had listened to the climate change-denying UK Independence 4. Lorely Burt (Solihull) (LD): What discussions he party, those jobs would be going abroad? has had with Greater Birmingham and Solihull local enterprise partnership on devolving powers and The Deputy Prime Minister: I certainly agree with the responsibilities to that partnership. [903236] hon. Lady’s latter point. There is absolutely no way that a multinational such as Siemens would invest that amount The Minister of State, Cabinet Office (Greg Clark): of money if we were on the brink of pulling out of the On 5 February I visited Birmingham and met the LEP European Union single market. I have been in several to discuss in detail its ambitious plans for growth. Its discussions with Siemens board members, as have many proposals focus on important economic opportunities, members of the Government, to persuade them to including the 143-hectare site around the proposed HS2 make that decision, and I am delighted that they have interchange in Birmingham. finally done so. She is quite right that Hull city council and the councils in the area—it is a triumph not only for Lorely Burt: I am grateful to my right hon. Friend for Hull, but for the Humber area more generally—have that answer. Greater Birmingham and Solihull LEP was worked together, and it has been a cross-party approach. one of the first LEPs to attract a city deal under wave 1. None of that would have been successful if we had been However, wave 1 LEPs do not currently attract funding on the brink of pulling out of the single market. That is for an advanced manufacturing growth hub. The west why Siemens has continued to invest in our country. midlands, as he has found out, is the advanced manufacturing capital of the United Kingdom, so will Miss Anne McIntosh (Thirsk and Malton) (Con): I he consider the decision so that we can get on with am delighted to say that I have a distant family connection creating more growth in the west midlands? with Hull, as my great-grandfather practised medicine there. Will my right hon. Friend explain how city deal Greg Clark: I will certainly do that. Having been in regeneration will help rural and coastal areas, such as Coventry yesterday to sign the Coventry and Warwickshire Thirsk, Malton and Filey, where we have flagging fishing city deal, which focuses precisely on advanced and tourism industries that desperately need boosting? manufacturing, I know that there is great recognition that the whole of the west midlands has a big opportunity The Deputy Prime Minister: My hon. Friend makes to come together to ensure that the order books that are an important point. City deals are a template for the filling up can be supported by companies in the supply further decentralisation of powers and control over chain.
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