Tuesday Volume 652 8 January 2019 No. 229 HOUSE OF COMMONS OFFICIAL REPORT PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES (HANSARD) Tuesday 8 January 2019 © Parliamentary Copyright House of Commons 2019 This publication may be reproduced under the terms of the Open Parliament licence, which is published at www.parliament.uk/site-information/copyright/. 147 8 JANUARY 2019 148 Derek Thomas (St Ives) (Con): In my constituency, House of Commons 85% of employees are employed in small businesses, which tell me they struggle to find the skilled workers Tuesday 8 January 2019 they need. What can my hon. Friend’s Department do with the Treasury and the Department for Education to The House met at half-past Eleven o’clock ensure that small colleges in particular have the funding they need to provide those skills? PRAYERS Richard Harrington: As my hon. Friend knows, my Department is part of the picture; he correctly says the [MR SPEAKER in the Chair] DFE is responsible for skills, but that is an important part of our industrial strategy, both nationally and locally. We are really pushing to put the skills agenda at the top of LEP programmes and everything else to do Oral Answers to Questions with that, because we realise, as he says, that small business will power the economy of the future. BUSINESS, ENERGY AND INDUSTRIAL Scott Mann (North Cornwall) (Con): The south-west STRATEGY is one of the fastest growing economic areas in the country, predominantly in tourism and tech. With the The Secretary of State was asked— devaluation of the pound, many people have decided to have holidays in Cornwall, and we have tech-based Jobs (Devon and Cornwall) businesses such as Microtest, a health-based solutions company in my constituency. People are making lifestyle 1. Kevin Foster (Torbay) (Con): What steps his choices about where in the country they want to live. Department has taken to support businesses to create What more can we do to facilitate moves away from the highly skilled jobs in Devon and Cornwall. [908428] city to the coast? The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Business, Richard Harrington: As someone with previous Energy and Industrial Strategy (Richard Harrington): experience of business in the south-west, in the tourism Happy new year to you, Mr Speaker, and to everyone industry, I understand exactly what my hon. Friend else. The two local enterprise partnerships covering the says. The Government’s strategy is very much based on area—Cornwall and Isles of Scilly LEP, and Heart of regional devolution—LEPs in particular—and areas the South West LEP,which includes Devon—are receiving such as his will see the benefits of that in the future. £317 million through the local growth fund to drive regional development. That includes a £3 million investment in the Electronics and Photonics Innovation Centre at Supply Chains the White Rock business park in Paignton, which helps to support skilled jobs in a key local growth sector. 2. Jamie Stone (Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross) (LD): What steps he is taking to maintain cross-border Kevin Foster: As my hon. Friend mentions, Torbay’s supply chains after 29 March 2019. [908429] £8 million EPIC centre will open later this year, helping to boost our vital photonics industry. What further The Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial support can his Department offer to help boost Torbay’s Strategy (Greg Clark): Supply chains between the UK high-tech sector? and the EU are vital—they support at least 200,000 UK traders and around 55,000 manufacturing jobs in Scotland Richard Harrington: I congratulate my hon. Friend alone. The deal the Government have negotiated with on everything he does for employment in this area and the EU, by avoiding customs checks, will protect supply in his constituency. He knows that my Department is chains and jobs right across the UK. working with Heart of the South West LEP, which is leading the development of our local industrial strategy. Torbay is actively engaged in that work. I believe the Jamie Stone: I ask this question against the background strategy will identify the particular strengths of the of yesterday’s unthinkable dry run for a no-deal Brexit— region and future opportunities for increased productivity, 80 lorries is hardly the same as 6,000. I represent the including in sectors such as photonics. furthest-away part of the UK mainland. I have mentioned before in the Chamber Mr William Calder, who runs a Luke Pollard (Plymouth, Sutton and Devonport) (Lab/ fish food company in Scrabster. Half a day’s extra delay Co-op): The development of marine industries in Plymouth in getting his fish products to the European market will and across Devon and Cornwall is a really important ruin the gentleman. Does the Minister see just how part of our local economy. Will the Minister agree to dangerous the future could be for my constituents? meet a delegation from Plymouth to look at how the creation of the UK’s first national marine park could Greg Clark: I agree with the hon. Gentleman. That is trigger more investment in our marine technologies and why there has been consistent support, especially in industries in the west country? Scotland, from organisations such as the National Farmers Union of Scotland and the Scotch Whisky Association. Richard Harrington: It would be a pleasure. The hon. Those who depend on the export trade, including the Gentleman and I have met before to discuss such subjects, logistics he describes, have urged the House to back the and I am happy to do so again. deal, and I hope he joins us in doing that. 149 Oral Answers 8 JANUARY 2019 Oral Answers 150 Sir Patrick McLoughlin (Derbyshire Dales) (Con): trade, which is why I have always been clear—representing The importance of Dover-Calais is unquestionable. What very strongly the views of small business and large estimates has the Department made of the implications business—that no deal should not be contemplated, but for the supply network of any reduction in capacity the way to avoid no deal is to do what the motor between Dover and Calais? manufacturers, the Institute of Directors, the Federation of Small Businesses, the British Chambers of Commerce Greg Clark: My right hon. Friend knows that much and all the business organisations say we should do, of the just-in-time production goes through the strait of which is vote for the agreement that will come before Dover, and estimates suggest an impact of a reduction the House next week. of about 80% of capacity between the narrow strait. In my view, it is essential that we avoid that disruption, Drew Hendry (Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and which would have implications right across the United Strathspey) (SNP): Lang may yer lum reek, Mr Speaker. Kingdom, including in Derbyshire and indeed Scotland, One way the Government are looking to maintain as we have heard. cross-border supply chains is by Government tender to shipping companies, but is the Secretary of State happy Luciana Berger (Liverpool, Wavertree) (Lab/Co-op): about the precedent set for UK businesses? His colleague This week, I received correspondence from a small the Secretary of State for Transport has awarded a business owner and constituent of mine who shared his £14 million contract to a company with negative assets fears about the issues Brexit could cause his chemicals of nearly £400,000, no ships and terms and conditions business. The EU is where the majority of his sales are copied from a takeaway, while the contract itself seems made and where he sources his raw materials. Can the to have been awarded on questionable legal grounds. Is Secretary of State tell us why his Government will not this the standard he expects for all UK businesses rule out a no-deal Brexit now, which is putting so many tendering for UK Government contracts? businesses in my area and across the country at risk? Greg Clark: It is evident that avoiding no deal is an Greg Clark: The hon. Lady is right that the chemicals essential task for all of us in the House, and I hope that industry is a good example of a very integrated industry in the days ahead the hon. Gentleman and other hon. across Europe. I met the leaders of the chemicals industry Members will take the opportunity to obviate the need in the week before Christmas, and they were very clear for those contingencies. The Secretary of State for that what has been negotiated in the withdrawal agreement Transport has an opportunity to come to the House and political agreement achieves what they need, which later today, but it seems to me prudent and responsible is, first, to avoid no deal and, secondly, to be able to for every Department to prepare, on a contingency continue what has been a very successful industry,including basis, for no deal, while also being firmly resolved to in the area she represents. avoid it. Michael Fabricant (Lichfield) (Con): With the worrying news that German output has fallen by 4.7%, what can Drew Hendry: The Secretary of State has not answered Britain do, post Brexit, to help the German economy the question. Will all UK businesses see such largesse with a thriving British economy? from the Government in respect of procurement contracts? One of Seaborne’s directors ran a business that went into liquidation owing HMRC nearly £600,000, using Greg Clark: It has always been my view, and I know it employee benefit trust tax avoidance schemes. According is my hon. Friend’s view, that the more we can trade on to the director, the Government did not even consider what has been a very successful model the better.