Extract from Wales Questions: Manufacturing - Dec 16
Thursday, 17 December 2020 08:55
Geraint Davies [V]: The delays in the Brexit deal, alongside the
pandemic, have meant that the Welsh steel industry has been hit
hard, Airbus has lost 1,400 jobs, Grenadier cars will be produced
in France instead of Wales, and even Brains brewery is up for sale.
Will the Secretary of State now press the Chancellor for a
sector-specific manufacturing strategy, in the knowledge that only
UK Governments can borrow in the long term at low interest rates to
secure long-term pre-pandemic production...Request free trial
[V]: The delays in the Brexit deal,
alongside the pandemic, have meant that the Welsh steel industry
has been hit hard, Airbus has lost 1,400 jobs, Grenadier cars
will be produced in France instead of Wales, and even Brains
brewery is up for sale. Will the Secretary of State now press the
Chancellor for a sector-specific manufacturing strategy, in the
knowledge that only UK Governments can borrow in the long term at
low interest rates to secure long-term pre-pandemic production
levels after the vaccine is deployed and after the deal is
agreed?
The Secretary of State for Wales (): The Chancellor’s contributions to the
companies that the hon. Gentleman mentioned, as well as to Celsa,
which I mentioned in my answer, have been second to none. We have
had a very good, robust and thorough exchange with all the
businesses to which the hon. Gentleman referred. I could not agree
with him more that part of the covid recovery programme is there to
ensure not only that we get through the next few months but that
there are sustainable futures for all those industries,
particularly steel. I hope the hon. Gentleman recognises the fact
that we were quick off the blocks to rescue Celsa—and 600 to 800
jobs—in that process right at the beginning of the pandemic. That
shows beyond reasonable doubt that we are absolutely committed to a
steelmaking footprint in Wales.
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