Four-Day Working Week

Lord Austin of Dudley Excerpts

Monday 5th September 2022 Lords Chamber

[Lord Callanan (Con)]

Of course we will take any lessons that are learned through the different pilot studies that are taking place. I think I disagree with the noble Lord that the pandemic proved that flexible working is the norm: it worked in some areas and some industries, but of course the Government did pay huge numbers of people to stay at home during the furlough scheme, which is not something we could ever carry on doing. Of course, it can work in some industries: a number of private sector companies have adopted it and, great, if it works for their particular circumstances and their particular employees, good for them—but it does not work for every industry.

[Lord Austin of Dudley (Non-Afl)]

My Lords, is it not fantasy economics to pretend that most employers can afford to pay people the same amount of money for working fewer hours? The truth is that there is no simple answer, no quick fix, to dealing with the weakness of our economy: it requires hard work, serious policies to improve productivity and investment in education and skills. We have to invest in technology, innovation and green industries, so that we can create good new jobs, particularly in places such as the West Midlands that have lost their traditional industries and struggle to find new ones. There is no easy answer to this, whether it is reducing hours and pretending to pay people the same money or, for example, the universal basic income.

[Lord Callanan (Con)]

I think I was agreeing with the noble Lord right up to his last sentence. Yes, of course there are no simple answers, and it can work for one industry and not for others; I really doubt that a universal basic income is the answer to this, though.

Vauxhall at Ellesmere Port and Battery Manufacturing Strategy

Lord Austin of Dudley Excerpts

Tuesday 2nd March 2021 Lords Chamber

[Lord Callanan (Con)]

I agree with my noble friend and indeed I would include vans as well. He makes a very good point. Developing a competitive UK electrified supply chain is key to maintaining the success of our automotive industry, which I remind noble Lords is one of the most productive and efficient in the world. Doing this will protect and create thousands of high-quality jobs across the UK.

[Lord Austin of Dudley (Non-Afl) [V]]

My Lords, I draw attention to my entry in the register of interests. The electric vehicle revolution can also bring thousands of well-paid jobs to areas such as the West Midlands, but that requires investment in battery technology and mass production. What assessment have the Government made of proposals for a battery plant at Coventry? I commend to the Minister the brilliant work being done in this area by the Warwick Manufacturing Group, where I and many other parliamentarians sit on the voluntary advisory group.

[Lord Callanan (Con)]

There are a number of good proposals around the country, including from Coventry, for the location of gigafactory investment. Ultimately, of course, the decision will be a commercial matter. Ministers and officials are in close discussion with those developing the Coventry proposals, the Blyth proposals and other factories around the country.

Oral Answers to Questions

Lord Austin of Dudley Excerpts

Tuesday 14th March 2017 Commons Chamber

[Greg Clark]

My hon. Friend, who is a great champion of the life sciences as well as of the Cheshire economy, knows that the opportunity to negotiate a sector deal for life sciences, which is being led by Sir John Bell, will be good for the whole country, but will have particular relevance to Cheshire and Macclesfield. I am looking forward to visiting his constituency to see the facilities for myself.

[Ian Austin (Dudley North) (Lab)]

T2. Will the Secretary of State join me in congratulating the greatest evening newspaper in the country, the Express & Star, and the brilliant work of Wolverhampton University, which have launched the green shoots scheme? The scheme has now successfully distributed £4 million of regional growth fund money, supporting 65 businesses, creating or protecting 600 jobs and, extraordinarily, generating over 11 million in private sector investment to support businesses in places such as Dudley. Contrary to what he said earlier, everybody knows that Dudley was the real birthplace of the industrial revolution.

[Greg Clark]

Having dipped my toes into controversy by talking about places with claims to be the cradle of the industrial revolution, I am certainly not going to nominate the best local newspaper in the country—suffice it to say that I gather the Foreign Secretary began his illustrious career on the Express & Star, although I do not know whether that shows its prescience, or whether it has recovered from that particular judgment. Local newspapers make a vital contribution to the success of local business, and I am delighted to hear about the initiative that the Express & Star is promoting.