UK Manufacturing Sector
Debate between Jim Sheridan and Caroline Dinenage(11 years, 6 months ago)
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Caroline Dinenage
The hon. Gentleman makes a good point. Manufacturing is growing apace, and Government intervention is key to continuing that progress. That is why their recent funding commitments through the aerospace growth partnership have been so widely welcomed.
I have given some examples of how the Government have overseen initiatives to help what might be called the push or supply side of business innovation.
Jim Sheridan
I welcome this debate, which is long overdue. The hon. Lady may be aware of the National Audit Office report on the contract that Bombardier lost to Siemens and the resulting loss of jobs. There is still time to retrieve that contract, so can she do anything to convince her Government that it should stay in the UK?
Caroline Dinenage
The perfect Minister is in the Chamber, and I hope he will speak about that when he has the chance to respond.
Businesses I have spoken to are really positive about some of the incentives the Government are introducing to help with innovation, including R and D tax credits and the financial incentives to innovate. Will the Minister assure me that his Department will continue to push for such incentives to be high on the Government’s priority list?