Wales and Monmouthshire (Report)

Part of the debate – in the House of Commons at 12:00 am on 2 August 1962.

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Photo of Sir David Price Sir David Price , Eastleigh 12:00, 2 August 1962

My right hon. Friend will give a direct answer on that point when he replies to the debate.

Employment in the old-established slate industry in Wales has long been declining as a result of the development of other materials, and we must recognise that this trend is likely in the long run to continue, but the industry remains an important one in North Wales and roofing slates will be important for a long time to come. Hon. Members may have seen in The Times of 31st July that Welsh slates are being used for the roofing of Nos. 10, 11, and 12, Downing Street. I am glad to hear that a major firm in the industry is introducing new methods which should result in higher productivity and lower costs at the new quarry to be opened towards the end of this year at Marchlyn.

The House will not expect me to embark on the complex subject of agriculture in Wales, although no doubt in the course of the debate some hon. Members may do so.

The industrial changes which have taken place in Wales over the last fifteen to twenty years have revitalised the industrial Me of Wales. I believe that the prospects are good. All the same, we have to recognise that the fortunes of Wales and of Welsh industry cannot be separated from the fortunes of the British economy as a whole. I am confident that Welsh industry is well placed to take advantage of the vigorous expansion of British industry for which we are all looking so eagerly—[Laughter.]—wait for it—and about which my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer spoke in the debate last Thursday.

May I give a word of advice to industrialists? With expansion round the corner—[An HON. MEMBER: "Round the bend."] I repeat, with expansion round the corner, now is the time for the far-sighted industrialist to start investing again and building for his expansion so that he will be in a position to take advantage of the future forward surge in the economy when it comes. If he lingers too long he will miss his opportunities. It is cheaper and more efficient to create new capital assets at the trough of an investment cycle than at its crest. So I say to industrialists, "Think of your future investment plans and come and discuss them with us at the Board of Trade". I can assure hon. Members who represent constituencies within development districts that if industrialists will follow my counsel we shall have the conditions under which we can steer new projects to their constituencies. Wales has much to offer the prospective developer. I am hoping to take an early opportunity to visit Wales and see the prospects on the ground for myself.

I can assure the House that the Government will press on with its policy of assisting areas with high and persistent unemployment. As evidence of our sincerity, I point to the Government's record. In little more than two years, under the Local Employment Act we have given assistance of about £7,800,000 to 46 projects providing 9,000 jobs. At present, we have 360 tenants in our factories in Wales, factories administered by the Industrial Estate Management Corporation for Wales. Those factories give employment to 63,000 people. That is no small contribution to Wales and it certainly is not the end of what the Government are prepared to do.

I see Wales as a land of opportunity whose greatest asset is the character of its people—skilled and industrious, passionately keen on education, dedicated to music and, above all, proud of being Welsh. I am confident that under the leadership of my night hon. Friend the Minister for Welsh Affairs and my noble Friend the Minister of State for Welsh Affairs the energies and genius of the Welsh people will, in the language of Dylan Thomas: advance for as long as forever is".