Industrial Strategy
Debate between Baroness Stuart of Edgbaston and Vince Cable(12 years, 2 months ago)
Commons ChamberRead Full debate Read Hansard Text
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Vince Cable
No, indeed it should not. I was in Swindon last week talking to the research councils, whose role is entirely complementary to the TSB. They deal with an early stage of innovation. What they do is often highly relevant to British business, but it happens at an earlier stage of development than the work of the TSB. They are complementary bodies and their funding arrangements reflect that.
Ms Gisela Stuart (Birmingham, Edgbaston) (Lab)
A successful industrial strategy requires decent infrastructure for transport, as well as regional balance. Will the Secretary of State assure us that he will work with the Secretary of State for Transport to ensure that airports such as Birmingham International are able to use their capacity and expand it as and when they need to?
Vince Cable
Birmingham International airport does, indeed, have vast potential, and I am a great advocate of it as part of our overall airport expansion, which we will clearly need in the years ahead. I think I am correct in saying that the regional growth fund and the Going Places fund have been used to improve access to Birmingham International airport.