Honda in Swindon

Baroness Bloomfield of Hinton Waldrist Excerpts

Tuesday 19th February 2019 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Vere of Norbiton]

I beg to differ with the noble Lord: there was certainly no complacency on my part, and I am sorry if he felt that was the case. The Government are absolutely committed to getting a deal that supports all businesses and takes away uncertainty. We now know the steps we need to take to achieve that. I come back to the use of the word “complacency”. It is certainly not the case. We will set up a task force for the staff in Swindon to look at how we can make sure they have successful future careers and we make use of their skills and experience. We have come very quickly to a stage where we have assembled all the key players: Unite the Union, the key trade union, is involved; local MPs and the local borough council are involved; the LEPs are involved. I am convinced that, if we can all work together, those 3,500 skilled and valued employees in Swindon will be very attractive to other employers.

[Baroness Bloomfield of Hinton Waldrist (Con)]

Can my noble friend say whether Honda will continue with the development of its hydrogen fuel cell technology in the UK?

[Baroness Vere of Norbiton]

Unfortunately, I cannot, because I do not know anything about its hydrogen fuel cell technology. I will write to my noble friend.