Budget Resolutions and Economic Situation — House of Commons, 2015-07-08
Topic: Technology
David Henry Rutley (Conservative, Centre-right): It is well beyond that, thank you. [Laughter.] These towns play a key role in the future productivity of the north-west I want to focus on science. On 10 June, the Prime Minister said that we needed to increase our productivity "by encouraging entrepreneurship, by making sure we invest in success"— and, I wish to emphasise this bit— "by investing in science—these are the things that we have been doing as part of a long-term economic plan, mostly opposed by the Labour party. "—[Official Report, 10 June 2015; Vol. 596, c. 1187.] Science, and in particular life science, is critical in our part of the world. Alderley Park, now owned by Manchester Science Partnerships, is key. AstraZeneca’s Macclesfield site alone accounts for 1% of UK goods exported; a driving force behind high-value, high-wage growth in Macclesfield, north-east Cheshire and south Manchester To play our part in future success across the north, we need to ensure that the Chancellor’s ambitions for science in Greater Manchester and beyond are fulfilled. Manchester has been selected as Europe’s city of science for 2016. There is plenty to showcase to academics and investors, not least Jodrell Bank Observatory, which is in part in the Macclesfield constituency. I am delighted that it has secured the Square Kilometre Array telescope project, and an additional £12 million of lottery funding to recognise the important and unique science heritage of the site In his speech on 14 May, the Chancellor said that Manchester was not yet as great as the sum of its parts, and the "Exploiting the Excellence" report by the very good North West Business Leadership Team supports that view. I am delighted that having recognised the problem, which Labour failed to recognise and act on, he is determined to do something about it. The Budget puts in place the conditions and key ingredients necessary for the northern powerhouse to evolve: leveraged investment in infrastructure, increased investment in science and other key industry sectors and a transfer of power away from Whitehall to the northern powerhouse itself. This is an important combination of factors and will have a multiplier effect In fact, we are seeing that already, with the promise of additional investment in the northern rail hub, HS2, HS3 and now the proposed £1 billion investment and 10-year transformation in Manchester’s international airport. Today, we also welcome the establishment of Transport for the North, a statutory body, and the £30 million of additional funding made available to assist with its duty of delivering a long-term transport strategy for the north. That is exactly what we need. It is not just about the north or north-west, however; there are now devolution deals across the country, including in the Leeds city region, West Yorkshire, the Sheffield city region and Liverpool. Of course, success breeds success, and there are now reports of a powerhouse in the midlands too—the "midlands motor" or perhaps the "Mercian dynamo". Whatever it ends up being called, I wish it every success I wish the Budget every success as well, because it is working to balance the books, to rebalance the tax burden, to rebalance the economy towards the enterprise economy we hold so dear and to rebalance our economic geography. I back that balance and I back this Budget.